In the last few hours it became known that the 19 councillors of Pereira have been denounced by a group of university leaders for alleged irregularities during the election process of the municipal comptroller.
It is worth remembering that, on March 3, Jenny Constanza Osorio was elected as the new Municipal Comptroller by the Pereira Council, after the lawyer obtained 13 of the 19 possible votes for the list of candidates, which also included Oscar Vasco Gil and Perches Giraldo Campuzano.
Osorio only lasted a few hours in office, as a judge ordered the election and possession process to be suspended, responding to a tutelage presented by the also aspiring municipal comptroller, Perches Giraldo.
The president of the Council of Pereira, Carlos Hernán Muñoz, explained at the time that the legal appeal alleges that there was an irregularity and due process was absent following the resignation of the third of the candidates for municipal comptroller.
Now, this questioned election process is compounded by complaints filed by a group of university leaders after having found several alleged irregularities in the election.
One of the complainants, Felipe Cardona Mayo, told Caracol Radio that the councillors knew that the requirements for the election were not being met and that, despite this, they decided to continue the process and hold the vote, so he, together with three other people, filed formal complaints with the Prosecutor's Office and the Attorney General's Office General of the Nation.
The lawsuit also seeks to clarify whether another of the registered candidates, the former Controller of Risaralda, Óscar Javier Vasco Gil, was disabled and whether it is true that, while he was in a ternado, he had contracts with the Government and the Comptroller of Risaralda, which were to be executed in Pereira, resulting in a clear conflict of interests.
Therefore, they also argue that during the trial several articles of the Constitution were violated, such as the waiver, on the same day, of the election of one of the candidates and, therefore, his absence from the public interview, essential requirements to ensure a correct election process.
“The secretary of the corporation gave a letter sent in the morning by Dr. Óscar Javier Vasco Gil, who was one of the three candidates, in which he says that he has an employment relationship that legally obliges him to stay in the position and that he is therefore not interested in being elected Municipal Comptroller of Pereira. But he also pointed out that he did not want his resume to be withdrawn so as not to delay the process. In addition, the inability for the candidate arises because he had two contracts with the Government of Risaralda since January. There is also another irregularity when he gives up and does not appear for the public interview,” Cardona explained, according to the testimony collected by Caracol Radio.
According to local media reports, councillors have not yet been officially notified of the lawsuit.
For the time being, the complainants continue to await a pronouncement by the Municipal Council of Pereira and a response to their complaints to know whether the invalidity will be declared and a new election of the Municipal Comptroller's Office should be called.
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