Amid a strong controversy over the expenditure of resources at a time when the country has no money, on July 5, RTVC – Public Media System organized the “Concert of Hope: Latin America in Solidarity” in Plaza Bolívar in Bogotá, an event for which he will now have to give explanations to the Attorney General’s Office.
This event brought together hundreds of people and featured the participation of artists from various Latin American countries and although it had already taken place in previous years, another of the controversies on this occasion was due to the focus on the humanitarian crisis in Palestine, promoting solidarity and human rights.
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As a result, Colombians had to pay more than $2 billion, a situation that led several sectors to criticize the allocation of resources in this event, arguing that the spending could have been allocated to more urgent areas such as the Ministry of Mines and Energy or the Judicial Branch.
Concert of Hope – RTVC.
Courtesy – API
However, Holman Morris, manager of RTVC, defended the concert, saying its main aim was to promote peace and human rights, particularly in response to the situation in Palestine.
Morris argued that public media have a responsibility not to be indifferent to global humanitarian crises. However, concerns about transparency of spending and cost justification persisted, leaving open the debate about the use of public resources in such events.
The Attorney General’s Office demands accountability
In a statement to the public, the Attorney General’s Office said that due to the controversy generated, this week it requested information on the budgetary and technical reasons that were taken into account for the development of the event that cost billions.
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“Fulfilling its missionary function of preventing the use of public resources and the spending austerity plan contemplated in decree 199 of 2024, the Attorney General’s Office requested information from the Public Media System – RTVC – on the Concert of Hope, held on July 5, in Plaza de Bolívar, in Bogotá,” they said.
Concert of Hope – RTVC.
Courtesy – API
For the controlling entity, there is a point of concern in the signing of contract 1413-2024 for a value of $2,295,816,733 in the midst of the spending austerity plan decreed by the National Government, since the justification indicated by the entity does not clearly account for the need to hold the event.
Attorney Marcio Melgosa, first delegate for the Oversight of Public Function, asked RTVC to clarify the causes that gave rise to said need, as well as the technical supports or studies thereof.
“In the same sense, explanations are required on the reasons why the entity advanced the contract under the direct contracting modality, taking into account that the amount is not less than 300 legal monthly minimum wages in force as required by its own contracting manual,” said this official.
Thus, the entity’s management will also have to report how they guaranteed the principle of objective selection and what were the benefits obtained with the aforementioned event, arguing that at this time the priority of the Nation should be to use the State’s money intelligently.
