The criminal trial for irregularities in the remodeling of Neiva's Guillermo Plazas Alcid Stadium is on the brink of collapse due to judicial delays causing the prescription of several crimes. Accused interventors and contractors could be exonerated from lesser charges, leaving only embezzlement by appropriation intact. The 2016 tragedy, which killed four and injured ten, might end without convictions due to the passage of time.
The partial collapse of the western stand at Neiva's Guillermo Plazas Alcid Stadium happened on August 19, 2016, resulting in four deaths, ten injuries, and the loss of a 24 billion peso investment. The criminal process, started over anomalies in contract No. 921 of 2012 for studies and designs, now faces a 'legal collapse' due to delays in the preparatory hearing.
Prosecutors charge private individuals like Erika Johanna Fernández Figueroa, representative of Consorcio Diseños Estadio, as co-author in crimes such as ideological falsehood in public documents and contracts without legal requirements. Her lawyer, Mauricio Toro Chávarro, states these charges have prescribed: ideological falsehood in February 2022, and contracts without requirements in May 2024, after over eight years from the 2017 imputation. Similarly, Gustavo Adolfo Arboleda Álvarez and Miguel Alejandro Lozano Castañeda, classified as interveners, benefit from these timelines.
Judge Freddy Peña Ávila of Neiva's Fourth Circuit Criminal Court will only rule at the end of the extended hearing. For action by prevarication, urban curator Mauricio Vargas Cuéllar would also see his charge prescribe in August 2025. The only surviving crime is embezzlement by appropriation of high amount, with a prescription term until 2032, depending on penalty qualification.
This scenario, worsened by judge and prosecutor changes and dilatory tactics, undermines the prosecution by eliminating evidence of irregularities like false compliance certifications for incomplete designs and financial omissions. Victims and public interest face risks of partial or total impunity if delays persist.
