Corruption charges against Colombia’s ex-Finance Minister, Ricardo Bonilla, and former head of the Presidential Administrative Department (DAPRE), Carlos Ramón González, moved forward this week.
The two former officials and close allies of President Gustavo Petro had previously been implicated in a scandal related to the alleged misallocation of funds from Colombia’s disaster risk agency (UNGRD).
The Attorney General’s Office announced plans to formally charge Bonilla with corruption on Tuesday, June 3, while a court ordered González’ arrest on Friday, June 6.
The UNGRD scandal is the largest case of alleged government corruption since Petro took office in August 2022.
The agency purchased defective water tankers for COP$46.8 billion (USD$10.5 million) despite the tankers being valued at a fraction of this price.
Senior government officials were accused of pressuring the agency to give the contracts to specific firms that inflated the value of the tankers. They then allegedly used the excess money to bribe the two ex-presidents of the Congress into supporting Petro’s policies.
The scandal led González, who had left the DAPRE in February 2024, to resign from his post as National Intelligence Director in July 2024 after investigators requested he be charged with corruption.
González was formally charged on May 21, with the Attorney General today requesting he be sent to jail. But his location is unknown, with prosecutors saying the former Chief of Staff may be in Nicaragua.
His lawyer, Iván Cancino, said his client traveled for personal reasons but Colombian prosecutors are expected to issue an international arrest warrant for González.
The case against Bonilla, who was implicated in the scandal as early as July, also advanced this week. He has been under investigation since he was Finance Minister, resigning in December 2024 at Petro’s request.
“I expect his resignation, not because I think he is guilty, but because they want to tear him apart for being loyal to the government programme,” wrote the president at the time.
On Monday, prosecutors announced they would move forward with formal charges of influence peddling and undue interest in contracts.
The ex-Finance Minister has been accused by María Alejandra Benavides, his former advisor and congressional liaison, of knowing about the alleged bribery of the ex-presidents of Congress.
Prosecutors are now waiting for a judge to approve the immunity deal under which Benavides testified before proceeding with charges against Bonilla.
President Petro continues to deny his administration’s involvement in the scandal, accusing UNGRD officials of roping in senior government figures to distract from their own guilt.
He doubled down on his support for Bonilla this week.
“Bonilla is innocent! This is an enormous injustice by the Attorney General,” said Petro on June 3 during a cabinet meeting.