Colombia’s Inspector General’s Office began a full-scale disciplinary investigation Thursday of the director of the Colombian Family Welfare Institute (ICBF), Elvira Forero Hernández, for her involvement in alleged contract irregularities, reported El Heraldo.
The investigation will also examine the involvement of other ICBF personnel, such as the secretary general, administrative director, planning director, executive director, as well as local politicians such as Periera Mayor Israel Alberto Londoño and La Guajira Governor Jorge Eduardo Perez Bernier.
The Inspector General’s Office will be scrutinizing the alleged irregularities in ICBF’s contracts with the company Alma Mater and the Fundacion Minuto de Dios, which may also include serious violations of legal contracting principles.
Initially, the Public Ministry adverted the Inspector General’s Office of possible abnormalities in many of ICBF’s contracts. Many irregularities were related to market studies and their selection process of contractors, among others.
The Inspector Generals Office initially did an organizational investigation of ICBF which found many of their contracts to be generic and strangely signed at the same time each December. Additionally, fees totaling as much as 244.8% of the originally agreed upon amount were often added at the time of signing.
These irregularities indicated both the possible awarding of assistance contracts in return for payment and the inadequate monitoring of agreements, which prompted the full-scale investigation of the ICBF director and affiliates.
