2024-08-24 05:16:48
The Council of State has confirmed that the National Electoral Council (CNE) has the authority to investigate alleged irregularities in the financing and reporting of income and expenditure of the 2022 presidential campaign of the Historic Pact, led by Gustavo Petro.
This decision, signed by the rapporteur María del Pilar Bahamón, represents a key step in the scrutiny of the country’s electoral processes.
The ruling specifies that the CNE can “continue the administrative investigation into alleged irregularities in the financing and reporting of income and expenditure in relation to the interparty consultation and presidential campaigns for the first and second round of 2022 of the Historic Pact Coalition«.
Furthermore, the Council of State not only recognized the competence of the CNE, but It also reinforced the role of the Congress of the Republic in this delicate matter.According to the high court, It will be Congress that must “decide on the eventual sanction of losing the office of the President of the Republic”“, if the CNE investigations reach that conclusion.
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This decision is within the framework of the provisions of article 21 of Statutory Law 996 of 2005which regulates the procedures for investigations and trials for political unworthiness. According to the law, Congress will act autonomously in making decisions on possible sanctions that may arise from the irregularities investigated.
With this ratification of powers, the CNE will continue its investigation into the finances of Gustavo Petro’s campaigna process that could have significant repercussions in the Colombian political sphere.
Depending on the findings, Congress may need to initiate a process to determine Petro’s continued presidency, a scenario that, although still distant, is beginning to take shape.
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