This Friday, October 18, the National Registry of Civil Status awarded a million-dollar contract to the Temporary Union for the Distribution of Electoral Processes, of which Thomas Greg is a part. “to hire the services of a comprehensive logistical, technological, and computer solution for the organization and execution of the electoral processes of the Local Administrative Boards (JAL), and the Popular Consultations for the formation of the metropolitan area of the Southwest of Colombia, and the area Metropolitan Amazonian Foothills”.
(Read: Changes due to pension reform would increase the probability that more women will retire).
The award process to this temporary union was approved despite the fact that the National Government, through the Transparency Secretariat, raised objections regarding the alleged lack of guarantees in the plurality of bidders.
Recently, the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO revealed how in several letters sent to the national registrar, Hernán Penagos, the Transparency Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic assured that there were serious indications of the non-guarantee of plurality of bidders and specifically mentioned that it could end up benefiting companies like Thomas Greg.
(Also: Thomas Greg will continue with the issuance of passports and Portugal will provide support).
For sector experts and senators such as Angélica Lozano (Alianza Verde), the intervention of the Transparency Secretariat of the Presidency in a contracting process of an autonomous entity such as the Registry, set off alarms for the 2026 presidential elections.
Hearing in which the Registry Office awarded a contract to the temporary union in which Thomas Greg appears.
In fact, they added to the episode the frustrated attempt to retain and control 73 percent of the Registry’s budget, the inspections carried out by the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC) and several tweets from President Gustavo Petro himself.
(Here: How was the labor reform and what effects would it have on employment and informality?).
In addition, officials from the Registry Office responded to Andrés Idárraga, Secretary of Transparency, that the concerns he was raising had already been answered to one of the parties interested in the process.
Finally and despite the controversy, the contract for more than 41 billion pesos was approved in a public hearing in which Marcio Melgosa Torrado, first delegate attorney for preventive surveillance of the Public Service, was present.
PORTFOLIO
With information from the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO
