Decision that the then Foreign Minister made at the time lacked legal basis.
News Colombia.
In second instance failure the Attorney General’s Office He confirmed the dismissal and disabilities for 10 years to the former chancellor of Colombia, Álvaro Leyva Durán, for his irregular performance in the public tender for the hiring of the passport issuance service. The decision was given after determining that Leyva canceled without legal justification a process that had a single enabled bidder: the company Thomas Greg & Sons, which met all the technical and legal requirements.
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The control body considered that the then Foreign Minister incurred a very serious offense as an intent, by declaring the tender deserted without an objective or legal reason. According to the ruling, this decision violated fundamental principles of public procurement such as transparency, economy and responsibility, causing damage to the State and affecting continuity in the expedition of passports for citizens.
The Attorney General’s Office also questioned the emergency figure states that it was subsequently used to directly award the contract, although in that part of the process, Leyva was acquitted. However, the disciplinary entity was emphatic in pointing out that declaring a bidding process deserted for the existence of a single proponent – when this meets the requirements – is not legally valid.
In second instance failure, @PGN_COL confirmed dismissal and disability for 10 years to the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Álvaro Leyva, for ignoring state hiring principles by declaring the tender for passport manufacturing desert https://t.co/kpdi0yqmu5
– Attorney General’s Office (@PGN_COL) SEPTEMBER 2, 2025
The sanction to the former chancellor occurs in the midst of a greater institutional crisis within the government of Gustavo Petro, marked by problems in the expedition of passports and multiple questions to officials of the High Government.
The same Attorney’s Office also advances investigations against the director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency, Laura Sarabia, and the current chancellor, Luis Gilberto Murillo, for possible omissions in the solution of the problem.
This episode becomes one of the greatest administrative scandals of the current government, and puts the relationship between the decisions of the Executive and the control entities again. While the appeal presented by Leyva is resolved, the sanction leaves him disabled to occupy public office for a decade, which represents a strong blow to his political career and the image of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during his management.
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