Prosecutor's Office will charge former governor (e) of San Andrés for irregularities in the contract of Christmas lighting

On Wednesday, March 23, the Attorney General's Office announced that it filed the request for an indictment hearing against the former governor in charge of San Andrés Islas, Alen Leonardo Jay Stephens, as allegedly responsible for the crime of contract without compliance with legal requirements.

He also explained that the evidence proved that the respective requirements required by the procurement were not met:

It may interest you: Piedad Córdoba: Extradition request was formalized for his brother Álvaro

The Prosecutor's Office also assured that the hearing against the former governor of the archipelago department will be held on the date set by the Bogotá Superior Court.

It should be recalled that Mr. Jay Stephens served as governor-in-charge, between October 2020 and April 2021, following the suspension of the incumbent, Everth Julio Hawkins Sjogreen.

The investigation has been going back to 2020, when the Attorney General's Office began to verify the conditions that the island was in after the passage of Hurricane Iota.

“It is with surprise that we noticed the signing of this millionaire contract in the midst of an emergency in which hundreds of residents of Providencia have no roof to shelter from the rain,” explained the Comptroller Delegate for Citizen Participation, Luis Carlos Pineda Téllez, during his supervisory visit in December of the same year.

But Jay Stephens is not the only former governor involved in a similar case, at the beginning of 2022 the Attorney General's Office issued a statement of charges against Ronald Housni Jaller (who practiced between 2016 and 2018), also for alleged irregularities in hiring.

It appears that Housni Jaller has awarded Public Tender No. 06 and entered into contract No. 822 of 2016 with the partners of the company 'Su Opportunity Servicio Ltda', who served as members of the board of directors of the Energy Production Society of San Andrés and Providencia (SOPESA). S.A.E.S.P.), in which the former governor worked for 16 years.

According to the supervisory body, the former departmental president would have violated article 40 of Law 734 of 2002, which refers to the fact that “every public servant must declare himself prevented from acting in a matter when he has a particular and direct interest in its regulation, management, control or decision, or if his spouse or one of his or her relatives within the fourth degree of consanguinity, second degree of affinity or first civil, or de facto or de jure partners”.

The Attorney General's Office provisionally described the alleged offense as serious, committed as a malicious one, since Housni Jaller had not declared his conflict of interest.

The file was sent to the Office of the Delegate Prosecutor for Disciplinary Judgment (distribution), before which the subject of proceedings may submit disclaimers, free version, provide and request evidence if he so wishes. There is no appeal against this decision.

KEEP READING: