2024-09-27 12:36:26
The Minister of Finance and Public Credit, Ricardo Bonilla, faced a debate on a motion of censure in the Senate of the Republic, where he was questioned for his alleged involvement in the corruption scandal involving the National Risk and Disaster Management Unit ( UNGRD).
The session, called by the senator of the Green Alliance, Jonathan Pulidosought for Bonilla to explain his alleged responsibility in the acts of corruption reported by the directors of the UNGRD, Olmedo López and Sneyder Pinilla.
During his speech, Minister Bonilla categorically denied any involvement in the case, describing the accusations as “gossip” and challenging his detractors to present concrete evidence. «If there is evidence, give it to me, but the Court itself has found that all of this is gossip from Olmedo López and Sneyder Pinilla, and that they have no evidence, that they have not been able to prove anything.«Said the official, showing a firm stance in the face of the accusations.
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The arguments of the motion
Senator Jonathan Pulido, who led the subpoena, expressed concern about Bonilla’s role at the head of the Ministry of Finance, amid corruption accusations surrounding the UNGRD. According to Pulido, the alleged irregularities in the allocation of projects and resources are a cause for alarm for Colombians. “Colombians today, like me, are worried because you are in charge of a very great power such as the country’s economic portfolio, but at the same time you are being pointed out in a very serious network of corruption,” said the senator. during his speech.
Pulido also highlighted the coincidence of the motion with Congress’s refusal to approve the national budget, suggesting that both issues are closely related: “Today we not only see that the economic future of the country is at stake. Curiously, today that we are carrying out this motion of censure, Congress denies a budget,” he pointed out.
Ricardo Bonilla not only defended his management, but also asked Senator Pulido, if he had evidence of the accusations against him, to present it to the Prosecutor’s Office. Bonilla explained that his role as minister requires him to supervise all the country’s projects, since it is part of the investment budget construction process. «I have to know about all the projects because that is how the investment and National Planning budget is built, there is a bank with 1,291 projects and the budget is built on those.«Detailed the minister.
Furthermore, Bonilla emphasized that, at 74 years old, he has never been involved in any corruption scandal, highlighting his clean record throughout his career in public service.
Next steps
The debate ended with the intervention of the president of the Senate, Efraín Cepeda, who reported that the vote on the motion of censure will be held in the next ten days, as established by the regulations of Congress. The vote will define whether Bonilla continues in his position or if the Senate considers it necessary to remove him from the Ministry of Finance due to the accusations against him.
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