A circuit criminal judge sentenced Diego Ramiro Cortés, former head of a public hospital in Cali, to 13 years and 9 months in prison, after finding him responsible for violent sexual acts and sexual harassment committed against several workers at the healthcare center.
According to the evidence presented by the Attorney General’s Office, the man, now 44 years old, would have used his administrative position to subject different female employees to sexual, physical, verbal and psychological harassment for a decade, between 2010 and 2020.
The investigation established that Cortés held conversations of sexual content with the victims and, in several cases, performed intimate touching without consent, taking advantage of his hierarchical position within the institution.
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According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the convicted man also used closed spaces to isolate women and harass them, with the purpose of forcing them to have sexual relations. During these episodes, he made obscene comments related to the body and intimacy of the victims, conduct that he carried out protected by his role as superior.
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Cali City
One of the documented cases indicates that the man harassed a worker while she was near a photocopier, and later repeated the behavior in the hospital kitchen. In this last event, he entered the place, closed the door and attacked her by touching her with a sexual nature.
Another victim reported that she was repeatedly subjected to obscene advances and pressure to access intimate relationships, under the condition that the official sign or review work documents.
Due to these events, the Prosecutor’s Office charged Diego Ramiro Cortés with the crimes of violent sexual act and sexual harassment, as the perpetrator. Although the charges were not accepted, the judge issued a conviction and ordered that the sentence be served in prison.
The judicial decision was appealed by the defense, so the case will continue its processing in the second instance.