He Criminal Court 15 of the Bogotá Circuit revoked the conditional release granted to businessman Emilio Tapia and ordered his immediate capture, nullifying the previous ruling that had benefited him with his release.
In a 26-page order, the court indicated that “It is not that he is unaware that the conduct was really serious, but the assessment made in the sentence does not allow him to deviate from the basic schedule of 3/5 of the sentence.”, referring to the argument that supported the conditional release.
The judge also ordered that “ORDER THE IMMEDIATE CAPTURE of EMILIO JOSÉ TAPIA ALDANA… so that the pre-named sentenced person continues with the penitentiary treatment… in the penitentiary establishment available… the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute – Inpec”.
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Emilio Tapia
Private file
The ruling indicates that against this decision “There is no appeal as it is a second instance ruling.”.
In accordance with the judicial ruling, the judge determined that Tapia did not comply with the legal requirements to remain free, especially in relation to the payment of the fine imposed and the economic reparation derived from the criminal process..
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The office concluded that “There is no evidence that he has effectively complied with all of the obligations imposed” and that maintaining the measure of freedom “is contrary to the principle of legality and proportionality of the sentence.””.
Your background
Emilio Tapia is one of the protagonists of some of the biggest corruption scandals in Colombia during the last fifteen years.
His name is associated with two great cases that marked recent history: the so-called ‘Contracting Carousel’ in Bogotá and the irregular contract of the Populated Centers project of the Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies (MinTIC).
Tapia achieved public notoriety in 2011, when the Prosecutor’s Office identified him as one of the masterminds of the ‘Contracting Carousel’, a corruption network that operated during the administration of the former mayor Samuel Moreno and that diverted millionaire resources from public works.
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Recruitment carousel
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According to investigations, Tapia acted as an intermediary between contractors and officials of the Urban Development Institute (IDU) to ensure the awarding of contracts in exchange for bribes.
In 2015, a judge sentenced him to 17 years in prison for the crimes of bribery, undue interest in the execution of contracts, conspiracy to commit a crime, procedural fraud and falsification of a public document. Later, the Superior Court of Bogotá reduced the sentence to seven years and five months, taking into account his acceptance of charges and collaboration with justice.
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During his confinement, Tapia was transferred to different prison establishments and, in later stages, he accessed benefits such as house arrest and, finally, conditional release, under the commitment to financially repair the damage caused.
Years later, Tapia made the news again when he was involved in the case Populated Centersa contract for more than one billion pesos awarded by the MinTIC in 2021 to bring internet to rural schools. The Temporary Union that he represented presented false compliance policies and diverted part of the advance payment, which led to the suspension of the contract and a new criminal process.
In 2024, Tapia accepted charges for his participation in these irregularities within a pre-agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office, and was sentenced to six years and a few months in prison. On that occasion, he also promised to repair the State and collaborate with the investigations.
PORTFOLIO
