Prosecutor's Office confirms sanction of former mayor of Soacha for non-compliance with the Quota Law

For failing to comply with the Quota Law, which provides for the participation of women in at least 30% of the highest decision-making positions in public office, the Attorney General's Office suspended for 15 days former mayor of the municipality of Soacha, Cundinamarca, Eleazar González Casas, who served in this position between 2016 and 2019.

The Disciplinary Disciplinary Chamber for the Trial of Public Servants of Popular Election of the Public Prosecutor's Office, after partially confirming the first-instance ruling, indicated that the former president omitted his duty to comply with this rule, which seeks to ensure gender parity in senior public offices at the local and departmental levels.

“From the role of former mayor González Casas as nominator, affecting the rights of women 'for whom these legal instruments have had to be created that make them visible and make space for them in the public sector',” said the supervisory body.

For this reason, the offense was described as very serious, committed as a serious fault, because the former president of Soacha, a municipality next to Bogotá, allegedly acted with carelessness and lack of diligence to fulfill the mandate enshrined in Law 581 of 2000 that provides for the “full and effective” participation of women in positions of highest decision-making level within the locality.

“This reaffirms the fundamental role of women and the need to achieve their full and equal participation and leadership in all areas of the public sector by eliminating all forms of discrimination,” said the Public Prosecutor's Office.

Finally, the Attorney General's Office indicated that because former mayor González Casas is no longer in office, since it ended three years ago, the suspension penalty was ordered to be converted into wages, “according to the amount accrued at the time” in which this offense was committed, which threatens the participation of women.

Due to the alleged failure to comply with the judicial decision ordering the completion of the aqueduct and sewerage works in the municipality of Turbaco, Bolívar, the Attorney General's Office summoned the mayor, Guillermo Enrique Torres Cuéter, as well as the former mayor of this town, Antonio Víctor Alcalá Puello (2016 — 2019).

The supervisory body indicated that the Provincial Provincial Office of Cartagena is investigating them because, allegedly, they did not complete these works essential for the quality of life of the inhabitants of this municipality to northern Colombia, nor did they move a wastewater treatment plant, actions ordered by the 11th Administrative Court of Cartagena in response to popular action.

“It is evident, from the analysis of the evidence attached to the file, that two years and three months passed without warning of compliance with the orders issued by the judge in a popular action decision by the municipality of Turbaco,” states the Public Prosecutor's Office in the decision.

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