As a result of the scandal related to a fleet of National Army helicopters that are out of service due to lack of maintenance and repair, the Attorney General’s Office carried out a visit to the Ministry of Defense with the objective of obtain information about the process that will be implemented to contract the necessary services to put these aircraft back into operation. The situation involves, in particular, at least 11 Russian MI17 helicopters that have been grounded for several months due to the absence of proper maintenance work.
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The First Delegate Attorney for the Surveillance of Public Function, Marcio Melgosa, explained that, as part of the visit, An exhaustive evaluation will be carried out of all the documentation and information available about the contracting process.
In this sense, The modality under which the contracting will be carried out, the previous studies carried out and, in general, the process will be reviewed. that will be carried out to ensure that the repair and maintenance of aircraft is carried out in accordance with legal procedures and with the appropriate use of public resources.
The MI17 helicopters, which are detained in the hangars of the Tolemaida military base, They have been part of the Army fleet for several years, and their lack of maintenance has raised concerns both within the military sector and in public opinion. The immobilization of these aircraft represents a significant reduction in the operational capacity of the Air Force and the Army, which affects the response to emergency situations or missions that require the use of this equipment.
The lack of adequate maintenance, along with complaints received from the armed forces, motivated the intervention of the Public Ministry, which decided to carry out an inspection to learn more about the contracting process that would be announced to cover the necessary repairs.
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Attorney’s Office
EL TIEMPO Archive
The Attorney General’s Office, as Melgosa explained, is not only responsible for monitoring the proper use of public resources, but also for ensuring that the contracting process is transparent and complies with all legal regulations.
This way, The institution seeks to avoid any type of irregularity or possible mismanagement in the use of resources intended for the repair of helicopters. Through this surveillance process, the Attorney General’s Office also aims to mitigate the risks associated with public management, seeking to ensure that the contracted services are efficient and carried out in accordance with the procedures established by law.
The Vice Minister of Strategy and Planning, Luis Edmundo Suárez, and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense, Raúl Alfonso Gutiérrez, among other officials, participated in the meeting with the Ministry of Defense. During the meeting, Attorney Melgosa expressed concern about the fact that the selection process for contracting maintenance services was still in an initial phase. According to Melgosa, there is no clear date or concrete progress on the choice of contractors, which suggests that the immobilization of the helicopters could continue for an as yet undetermined time.
The lack of significant progress in the contracting process has generated concern, since in the meantime, aircraft remain detained and the Air Force and Army are limited in their operational capacity. In addition, the lack of available helicopters affects the logistics of the missions, as well as the ability to face emergencies in various regions of the country. For this reason, the Attorney General’s Office has reiterated the importance of streamlining the contracting process and ensuring that the repair of the helicopters is carried out in a timely and effective manner.
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Attorney General’s Office
Hernando Herrera / EL TIEMPO
Regarding the budget allocated for maintenance and repair work, An approximate figure of 220 billion pesos has been established. This amount is planned to cover the costs associated with repairs to the Russian MI17 helicopters and other work necessary to put them back into operation.
The scandal over the lack of aircraft maintenance has been a topic of concern for several sectors, especially due to the implications this has for national security and the response capacity of the Army and Air Force in critical situations. Despite the intervention of the Attorney General’s Office and the supervision of the contracting process, the situation remains unresolved definitively.
PAULA GALEANO BALAGUERA
Portfolio Journalist
