Mayor of Sucre suspended for violating quarantine

The Attorney General’s Office suspended for three months and opened an investigation against Elvira Julia Mercado, mayor of the municipality of Sucre, for allegedly breaching mandatory isolation by attending a party.

The official, the first Colombian authority to be suspended for breaching mandatory isolation, participated in “a party between May 3, 2020 until dawn on May 4, in which servers from the mayor’s office and the Santa Catalina Hospital apparently participated. “the Office of the Prosecutor detailed in a statement.

“The local president is being investigated for alleged non-compliance with social distancing orders and the non-use of protection elements, and for apparently promoting the circulation of people who attended the celebration,” the agency added.

On May 4, a video was published on social networks in which the mayor of Sucre (Sucre) appears, dancing at a party in which there were more than 15 people and that occurred during the quarantine, which began on 25 March.

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In this sense, the Office of the Attorney General stated that the suspension is due to the fact that the permanence in the position of Market “would make possible the repetition of the presumed disciplinary offense.”

“Taking into account that with the power and faculties that the mayoress investiture grants her, she could eventually favor the repetition of the alleged irregularities investigated,” added the Public Ministry, which stated that “the investigated person may request to be heard in a free version.”

Other suspended officials

On April 24, the Office of the Attorney General also suspended the governor of the jungle department of Chocó, Ariel Palacios, for alleged irregularities in a contract signed during the coronavirus health emergency.

The contract, for more than $ 2,000 million, was signed by Palacios and the Chocó Saludable Foundation to “provide services through a health day” in that department bordering Panama for prevention against the threat of COVID-19.

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According to the Public Ministry, “these are activities that have no priority or any relation to the pandemic,” with the possibility of non-compliance. In addition, the mayor of the municipality of Calarcá (Quindío), Luis Alberto Balsero, was suspended for the alleged irregularities found in a $ 369 million contract for the provision of food kits.

This Wednesday, the Colombian Government reported that the country exceeded 500 deaths from the coronavirus and that the infected have reached 12,930, while the health authorities have carried out more than 165,000 samples throughout the country.

Attorney’s Office (@PGN_COL) opened an investigation and provisionally suspended the mayor of the Sucre municipality, Sucre

https://t.co/T9UDu11MZb pic.twitter.com/aSsQ85k5Vv

– Colombian Attorney General (@PGN_COL) May 14, 2020