The Procuraduría General de la Nación imposed a four-month suspension on the former mayor of Doncello, Caquetá, Gerson Enrique Gaviria Cuestas, and the former General and Government Secretary, Juan Paulo Bermeo Plazas. The sanction stems from signing an association agreement without meeting legal requirements for care of vulnerable elderly adults. Since both no longer hold positions, the penalty will convert to salary deductions based on their 2021 earnings.
In a disciplinary ruling from the Procuraduría Regional de Juzgamiento de Caquetá, Gerson Enrique Gaviria Cuestas, former mayor of Doncello, and Juan Paulo Bermeo Plazas, former General and Government Secretary, were sanctioned for serious irregularities in a 2021 agreement. The deal aimed to provide comprehensive care and intervention for elderly adults in abandonment or indigence, but failed to meet the legal requirement that the cooperating entity contribute at least 30% of the total agreement value.
The Public Ministry classified the actions as serious faults due to grave negligence. Gaviria Cuestas, as the former executive, signed the agreement without checking requirements for contracts with non-profit entities. Meanwhile, Bermeo Plazas, in charge of preliminary studies, neglected to ensure proper procedure, including verification of the minimum 30% contribution.
As the investigated parties have left their positions by the time of the sanction, it will take the form of withholding salaries equivalent to four months, based on their 2021 earnings. This first-instance decision is appealable to the competent authority.
The case underscores the need for oversight in public-private associations to safeguard resources for vulnerable groups in areas like Caquetá.
