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With a total of 26 votes in favor, the majority of the Council appointed him as the new head of the fiscal control entity. It will remain until February 28, 2022. Transform the entity, make it more efficient and take advantage of each month at the head of the entity, its promises.
The Bogotá Council, after a long process, finally appointed the new Comptroller of Bogotá 2020, who will replace Juan Carlos Granados in office. The nominee is Andrés Castro Franco, who after consolidating one of the best scores in the process and surpassing almost 170 applicants, managed to win the vote of the majority of lobbyists.
It is worth remembering that his passage through the entity will be until February 28, 2022, so he will have just 14 months at the head of the institution. The District Comptroller’s Office this year managed a budget of $ 170,000 million and a payroll of 1,045 employees (20% freely appointed) and at least 200 contractors.
During the interview with the Council, which took place on Tuesday, he was the candidate who was asked the most questions. In total there were 20, compared to 12 that were made to Carlos Enrique Campillo and seven to Héctor Julio Garzón Vivas, who made up the shortlist. In many of the questions, Franco was highlighted by his relationship with the former comptroller Juan Carlos Granados (investigated in the Odebrecht case), of whom he was an auxiliary comptroller, and having worked in the Personería at the time of the convicted personero Francisco Rojas Birry. Despite this and the fact that several asked not to be elected, in the end the majority prevailed.
In total he obtained 26 votes, compared to 13 for Héctor Julio Garzón Vivas and four blank votes. Susana Muhamad and María Fernanda Rojas could not participate, as they were prevented from having ongoing investigations at the Comptroller’s Office.
Without discarding the capabilities of all the candidates, from the beginning Castro was outlined as one of the most optioned. Meetings were even held between councilors to promote his name. Not only because he is well known in the council and in the administration, but because his four years in the District Comptroller’s Office gave him an advantage, having fresh knowledge of the District’s fiscal movement and the projects will be executed.
Of the short list, he was the best qualified in the global score, occupying third place in the knowledge test, and despite the fact that of the three he was the one with the lowest qualification in professional training and teaching activity, professional experience and production in the fiscal area led him to be the best positioned.
Castro is a native of Pereira (Risaralda), a lawyer and professional in political science, specializing in legal-procedural institutions and a master’s in criminal procedural law. He was assistant comptroller for Juan Carlos Granados, a position he came to after losing his aspiration to be a Bogotá official in 2015. In addition, he has worked in the Narcotics Fund, the House of Representatives, the Bogotá Ombudsman and the Ministry of Justice. In addition, he is the head of internal control in the General Audit Office of the Nation.
He is a lawyer from the National University of Colombia, and a Political Scientist from the Javeriana University; He is a specialist in Legal-Procedural Institutions from the National University and a Master’s Degree in Criminal Procedural Law from the Military University; He is currently advancing another Master’s Degree in Disciplinary Law at the Free University.
The position of comptroller is of vital importance for the city, especially because it will have the mission of monitoring the investment carried out in the capital such as the metro, Transmilenio trunk lines, the Tunjuelo Canoas WWTP, the Seventh Green Corridor, schools , hospitals, among others. Only next year, according to the budget project submitted by the Claudia López administration, $ 24 billion will be executed, almost $ 3 billion more than the one approved for this year.
According to a statement from the District Comptroller’s Office, its technical proposal called Fiscal Control for a New Urban Agenda, in turn includes eight strategic proposals:
- A fiscal control for the post-pandemic and economic recovery. It requires an immediate fiscal control of strict surveillance of the Marshall Plan and the debt quota.
- A fiscal control for a sustainable city. The control of investment expenses will be a priority in the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation of the environmental damage assessment methodology.
- Fiscal control in tune with new information technologies. It will be a priority to strengthen the three missionary processes of the entity through technologies such as Big Data, georeferencing and artificial intelligence that allow progress in the fulfillment of functions.
- A fiscal control to strengthen knowledge management and surveillance in public spending. It is necessary to carry out quality studies in relation to the effectiveness of spending; generate a culture of traceability between macro and micro instruments that allow detailed monitoring and strengthen synergy between the entity’s mission processes; establish permanent accountability mechanisms; and include new perspectives for social and fiscal control.
- A fiscal control that strengthens citizen participation and social control. Strengthening citizen oversight, citizen auditors program and strategic alliances with academia and international organizations.
- A fiscal control to combat corruption and bad administrative practices. Promotion of good governance and good governance practices, technical assistance to control subjects for efficiency and transparency, establishment of strategies to guarantee compensation for damage and speed of fiscal responsibility processes.
- A fiscal control focused on results and accountability. More effective and efficient fiscal control, optimization of methodological instruments for control adjusted to the new Territorial Audit Guide, improvement of human resource performance and participation in audits coordinated with international organizations such as OLACEFS.
- A transparent fiscal control at the service of the citizen and the finances of the city. Supervision and transparency in public decisions, updating of processes and guidelines and strengthening of communication channels at the service of the citizen.
This was the interview he answered The viewer:
“Every peso counts for the well-being of Bogota citizens”: Andrés Castro Franco
What is its trajectory?
I am a lawyer from the National University and a political scientist from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. I have a specialization in judicial-procedural institutions and a master’s degree in criminal procedural law and I am studying a master’s degree in disciplinary law. I have been a university professor for 17 years, particularly in areas related to constitutional law, ethics and sustainability. In nearly 20 years of work experience I have held positions related to administrative management, monitoring and control of fiscal management, the protection of fundamental rights of citizens and the oversight of public social policies. I have been auxiliary comptroller of Bogotá, advisor to the office of the Minister of Justice and representative representative in the Personería of Bogotá, among others. I work in the General Auditor of the Republic.
Why do you want to be a controller?
I believe that I have the knowledge, ability and experience to lead the institution that oversees the execution of public resources in the Capital District and, even more so, in these moments where every peso counts for the well-being of Bogota citizens.
What is your opinion on the current administration?
I have no relationship with the current administration. Two years ago I retired from the entity. I do not have a consolidated opinion of this, which helps me not to be prejudiced about it.
What do you think of the District Comptroller’s Office? What needs to be improved?
That it is a strategic entity to monitor compliance with the Development Plan, investment bets and public spending of the city. Citizen confidence in the entity must be improved, as well as the processes and procedures of fiscal control, to adjust them to the new constitutional and legal framework. We must leave a more effective and transparent Comptroller’s Office, in the face of the challenges brought by the post-pandemic and the exercise of fiscal control in tune with the needs of modern and sustainable cities and, above all, at the level of citizens’ expectations. . My main project will be to incorporate all new information technologies into fiscal control in order to improve the auditing process and information analysis.
Large investments are coming in the city. How to guarantee transparent execution?
Public management requires fiscal control focused on results and accountability. In this sense, a more effective and efficient fiscal control must be carried out, optimizing the methodological instruments for control and inspection.
How will you restore the citizens’ trust in the Comptroller’s Office, who have seen the last comptrollers come out amid scandals?
Those who know me can attest to my ethical behavior in my professional, academic and teaching activities in all the institutions where I have worked. And it will be the results of the management, expressed in accountability, which will regain trust in the institution.
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