This Monday, January 26, became a historic day for justice in Medellín. Two of the most notorious cases of alleged corruption from the administration of former mayor Daniel Quintero returned to the courts, raising to 55 the number of people charged with irregularities in the management of public resources between 2020 and 2023.
Mayor Federico Gutiérrez did not mince words when describing what happened: “No one can have any doubt that Medellín was robbed. This is not an individual case, it is a criminal organization that was designed to loot the city.”
The first oral trial hearing began at 1:45 pm in Circuit Criminal Court 10 against Natalia Urrego Arias, former Secretary of Infrastructure, and Jorge Enrique Liévano, former manager of Metroparques, for the case of the city’s green areas.
The Prosecutor’s Office seeks to demonstrate how more than $5.2 billion pesos were diverted from a contract that was originally supposed to be executed by the Medellín Botanical Garden. Instead, the $12.5 billion contract was awarded to the company Reforestadora El Lebanon SAS.
According to citizen complaints and Mayor Gutiérrez, the result was devastating: the city’s green areas went from being well-kept gardens to becoming “stubble,” while the money allegedly ended up in the hands of individuals and officials of the previous administration.
The case of the green zones and the process against the former director of the Metropolitan Area
The second process of the day started at 3:30 pm and features Juan David Palacio Cardona, former director of the Aburrá Valley Metropolitan Area (AMVA).
The Attorney General’s Office charged him with crimes such as improper interest in the execution of contracts and embezzlement by appropriation.
The investigation revolves around six contracts for more than $18,000 million pesos signed between the AMVA and the Itagüí Volunteer Fire Department. According to the accusing entity, these contracts did not seek to strengthen emergency care, but rather to benefit third parties through contractual addressing.
Along with Palacio Cardona, the former environmental deputy directors Ana María Roldán and Diana María Montoya are also prosecuted, as well as the firefighter’s accountant, John Alberto Cardona Henao.
“The Prosecutor’s Office will request sentences of more than 30 years for the former director of the metropolitan area, Juan David Palacio, for acts of corruption. I hope he tells everything,” said Mayor Gutiérrez.
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Federico Gutiérrez revealed that the process is advancing thanks to the collaboration of people who have embraced the principle of opportunity, revealing details of how the criminal network operated from within the Mayor’s Office and the Metropolitan Area.
Gutiérrez emphasized that there are currently more than 650 findings of irregularities presented by his government.
“With today’s hearings, there will now be 55 people charged with corruption from the previous administration, including the head of the gang, who is not only accused of corruption, but is already in the trial stage,” he pointed out.
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In the case of the Itagüí Firefighters, the former director Misael Cadavid is already deprived of her liberty paying for these crimes after receiving a security measure. Now, the Prosecutor’s Office will request the same measure for Juan David Palacio Cardona.
According to investigations, through intercepted chats, telephone interceptions and witness testimonies, it has been revealed how the entire corruption network that allegedly looted the coffers of Medellín during the Quintero administration operated.
The judicial processes will continue in the coming months, and it is expected that more officials of the Quintero administration will be called to account in court for the alleged irregularities committed during the 2020-2023 period.
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