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During the indictment of charges against 10 people, including active and retired military personnel, and individuals for a case of corruption, the statement of an experienced Special Forces command was known, who warned about the risk generated by the use of the night visors purchased .
The Prosecutor’s Office made a long presentation on the irregularities that surrounded the contract for more than two billion pesos for the purchase of the viewers and that entangles Colonels Ariel Pongutá Ortiz, at the time in charge of the Central Administrative and Specialized Accounting Cenac, and Gustavo Adolfo Valbuena González, in charge of the Purchasing Agency of the Colombian Air Force (Acofa), at the time of the events.
(It could be of your interest to read: They legalize the capture of soldiers involved in an irregular contract)
The Prosecutor’s Office pointed out that the interests of the accused uniformed officers were aligned with the interests of the contractor, whose product did not meet the necessary specifications and also received several extensions for the delivery of the equipment and then it was received with satisfaction despite the fact that in reality they were not suitable.
Sixteen of the units were handed over to a hardened Armed Forces shooter who immediately tested them and found that they were useless and, furthermore, put the uniformed men who were to be in the front line of combat at risk.
The uniformed man said that the teams did not fit the special forces helmets and had to carry them around their necks and when they needed them they had to hold them by hand to observe, having to drop the assault rifle they carry in more operations. dangerous against high value targets.
The uniformed officer said that from the beginning he stated that the equipment was unsafe and that they did not have the appropriate height to fit the helmets and the eyes of the uniformed men.
He added that they finally only used them for training and not in operation, and that they always held them by hand or hung around their necks.
He said that in a jump from a ship, these teams could detach and hit the uniformed personnel in full fall, causing accidents or could even end up generating crashes of the uniformed personnel in the air, while they descended in full operation.
The infrared lights did not work and in some cases the shutdown of the sensors did not work either
An expert from the Ministry of Defense who examined the equipment pointed out that a very experienced uniformed man could take five minutes to place the visor on the helmet, in very good light and in a quiet situation. This went against the reality of the situation experienced by the uniformed in the field of operations.
In the 52 sights examined, the expert said, the infrared lights did not work and in some cases the shutdown of the sensors did not work either.
In addition, they did not come with the necessary tools for installation and the operating manuals were photocopies.
The sights were fogging, so they could not be used by units that jumped from ships in which the atmosphere would affect the operation of the equipment.
The manufacturer of part of the visors indicated that they manufactured the parts for use in hunting sports and only for sale in the United States and indicated that it was unaware that they had ended up in the Colombian Military Forces.
The prosecution charged the defendants with the charges of conspiracy to commit a crime, a contract without complying with the legal requirements, undue interest in the conclusion of contracts, material falsehood in an aggravated public document, embezzlement by appropriation in favor of third parties and prevarication by action .
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