CNE will investigate whether Luis Gilberto Murillo can be Sergio Fajardo's vice-presidential formula

Following a request from the Citizen Oversight Network, the National Electoral Council (CNE) will study the feasibility of the vice-presidential candidacy of Luis Gilberto Murillo, the current vice-presidential formula of Sergio Fajardo. This, taking into account that the Constitutional Court issued a ruling in 2012 ordering the politician's denial of the opportunity to hold any public office for the rest of his life.

It is worth mentioning that the complainant organization claims that the judgment, which spans more than 48 pages and was issued in 2013, indicates that, when Murillo was director of the Regional Autonomous Corporation for Sustainable Development of the Department of Chocó (Codechocó), he committed embezzlement by diverting resources that were defined in the State budget. The politician used five million pesos to repair the roof of a school in Andagoya when the money was for mining sanitation.

For this reason, the High Court of Quibdó sentenced Murillo to six months in prison. It should be noted that more than a decade later, a much deeper case was opened against him that ended his inability.

The process began in 2011 and was created precisely to apply for Murillo's disability. In the end, in 2013, the measure was granted and the politician was dismissed, since at that time he held, for the second time, the position of governor of Chocó.

It should be noted that Murillo filed an action to annul the deduction, but the Supreme Court denied him, and the Constitutional Court subsequently confirmed (in judgment SU917/13) the decision to suspend it for life. It is explained that the ruling is adapted to the decision of the Council of State which denies it the principle of favourability to apply to public office, and that it dismissed him in 2012 because his inability was still in force.

Despite this, according to Luis Gilberto Murillo's campaign, this decision was finally canceled and the political leader was exonerated in 2015. An indication that this decision was not implemented is that in 2016 he was appointed as Minister of Environment by President Juan Manuel Santos, and until the end of his administration, two years later, he was able to exercise without controversy over the disability

The Oversight Network asked the Council of State and the National Electoral Council (CNE) not to endorse Murillo's registration as Fajardo's teammate. The application will have to be evaluated by the competent entities in the coming weeks, but according to Murillo's campaign, the Oversight Network “stayed in the past”.

It should be noted that this request was filed one day after Murillo and Fajardo formally registered their presidential candidacy with the General Registry of Civil Status.

Fajardo has been emphatic in saying that Murillo has all the conditions to become the vice president of Colombia. He exalted his academic training and the contribution he can make to solve the problems of the different regions of the country.

“He was the best bachelor in his department, mining engineer, master of engineering sciences, governor of his department, director of the presidential program 'We Are All Pacifico', Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, visiting professor at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), consultant to the Agency of Development of the United States,” Fajardo said.

So far no member of the Centro Esperanza Coalition has commented on the document that would prevent Murillo from being Fajardo's formula.

It should be noted that, if Murillo is ordered to retire as Fajardo's teammate, the latter must choose another person to accompany him in this electoral race. Days before the Chocoan politician was confirmed as his vice-presidential formula, there was talk that communicator Mabel Lara or Senator Juanita Goebertus could accompany Fajardo in his aspiration.

This situation must be defined soon, as the country is two months away from the first presidential round. So far there are nine candidates, with their respective formulas, aspiring to reach the Casa de Nariño.

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