Payments to non-existent companies and unregistered donations, among the accounts CNE has asked Petro’s presidential campaign to clarify

Although the electoral contest in Colombia is over, the National Electoral Council (CNE) put the magnifying glass on the presidential campaign of the current national president, Gustavo Petroafter passing a requirement campaign manager, Ricardo Roa Barragánaround the accounts of presidential runoff.

According to an audit report from the firm Nexia Montes & Associateshired by the CNE to analyze the income and expenses of the winning presidential campaign, he presented a series of irregularities such as an apparent maneuver to modify the invoices so as not to exceed the limits, unregistered donationsuntil paid to shell companies.

Among the findings that surprised the CNE the most was President Gustavo Petro’s security contract during the election campaign. Although the services were originally agreed with the company Private Security and Surveillance Olimpo Seguridad For 77 million 318 thousand pesos from May 2 to May 29, 2022a month later, the company canceled the invoice.

According to information obtained by Changehe June 10, 2022 Olimpo Seguridad sent a credit note to Petro’s presidential campaign with the partial refund of said amount. The refund was 38.6 million pesoswhich made it possible to cover the total expenses of the campaign 99.93% legal limit allowed.

This was attested by the auditors in one of the sections of the report known by the same media: “With invoice No. A587 of May 5, 2022, the respective collection was made for the agreed value, however, the June 10, 2002 receives credit note No. NCE-148 for $38,650,425, reason ‘Partial refund of invoice A587’. Regarding the operation, we note the following: the credit note in question was received on a date after the end of the campaign on May 29, 2022. The credit note is not registered in the application of Delete accounts forming part of the discharge document no. 194 at the origin of the accounting entry”.

According to a newspaper article The weatherRoa Barragán justified the question by arguing that “initially they were quoted 10 escorts to deal with the candidate but which were later reduced to just 5″.

However, the matter remained in the crosshairs of the audit given that, according to the report, this difference in 38.4 million pesos this kept Petro’s campaign within the caps.

“We have assessed that, if this contract adjustment is not made, the presidential campaign has exceeded the spending limit authorized in the 2022 CNE resolution 694 (…) The campaign management does not provide an explanation , supported and motivated by the reversal of said invoice”, reads the report of Nexia Montes & Asociados known by Change.

Another point that caught the attention of the auditors concerned the issue of payments to at least three companies before they were legally incorporated before the Chamber of Commerce.

One of the cases is that of Mrs. Monica Slendy Velazquezwho received an invoice for 110 million pesos with date of April 18, 2022two days before the registration of the company as a sole proprietorship with the Chamber of Commerce.

“It was found that the commercial registration is dated April 20 and the invoice is dated April 18, 2022, i.e. the invoice was issued before the company was registered with the Chamber of Commerce. commerce of Piedecuesta. Also, the invoice is not electronic,” the auditing firm explained in the report, as learned Change.

The same situation occurred with the Mr. Diego Fernando Londoño to whom, according to information obtained by the same means, an invoice was generated for 328 million pesos. One of them, for 163 million pesoswas issued between April 18 and 19, a few days before the company was registered with the Chamber of Commerce.

From the campaign they reported to the magazine Week that all the accounts have been corrected and received with “satisfaction” by the National Electoral Council.

The auditors also noted in the report that some donations they were excluded from Petro’s presidential campaign accounts. Among them, as he learned Change, There is campaign headquarters in Montería and Cali, where the rent has not been paid.

“In the fieldwork carried out by the group of auditors, we established that there were campaign headquarters in the cities of Cali and Montería, not recognized in the payment of rent or services; or without recognizing them as donations through the recording of minutes and the valuation of assets in the service of the campaign,” reads a section of the report.

Although from the Petro campaign, they assured the newspaper The weather that all the findings have already been corrected, for the moment they will have to wait for the response of the CNE to request the respective replacement of the votes in the second round.