Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Bogotá's Contracts Carousel

26th Street excavations - a bottomless pit for the city government?
Mayor Moreno in happier days. 
Bogotá's ongoing corruption scandal involving the Transmilenio expansion keeps getting worse for Mayor Samuel Moreno, his administration and his brother Ivan. Today, one of the Nule brothers, whose company had been issued the contract for expanding Transmilenio on 26th St. to the airport, told reporters that both Mayor Moreno and his brother Ivan, a senator, had demanded payments for city contracts. The Nules are now in Florida, but promise that they'll return to face any charges in court. Let's cross our fingers. The Morenos deny the charges.

Meanwhile, prosecutors have siezed the mayor's income and filed charges against several other officials.

Sen. Ivan Moreno has something to say. (Photo: El Colombiano)
The scandal has torn apart the leftist Polo Democratico party, depriving Colombia of an important political counterweight to the dominant conservative parties. And it's undermined citizens' confidence in their represantives.

The only positive here? That the scandal's come out, and the legal system is acting.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

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