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POLITICAL CORRUPTION IN COLOMBIA

Political Corruption in Colombia

Oscar Javier Rodríguez Uribe

ILAC
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POLITICAL CORRUPTION IN COLOMBIA

Political Corruption in Colombia

In 2017 the political corruption cost Colombia US$17 billion a year, or, what is the same,

the equivalent to 5.3 percent of GDP. Amount enough to build hundreds of hospitals and

elementary schools, or thousands miles new built roads, and so much more. However, the chaos

that produces this disease makes society and every affected people try to do something. But there

could be three solutions, first, the Colombian government has made strict laws to combat

different scenarios where the corruption occurs easily. Second, could be applying the

successfully anti-corruption strategy worked in Singapore, and finally, destine all efforts and

commitments to increase the foreign investment and development priority. (Grattan, S. 2018,

June 15).

First of all, we have to understand that the problem is not new. It begins in colonial times

when the Spanish forced the people to pay lot of taxes and unfairly fees, and the people didn´t

seeing any good action or investment facts of those payments. On the contrary, the king gave all

the power of the crown to his royal subjects who governed by the monarch law and tried to

maintain the power gained with bureaucracy. And what that’s it means? Means, that the

nepotism and patronage became necessary to continue fill his pockets and hold the power. And

what is that? One of the principles of the modern politics, maintain the power and inherit it. So,

the people, saw that and became angry and they revealed against the king and his royal subjects,

and then the emancipation had begun. But, when the people achieved their freedom and rights,

needed to make laws to govern, and required functionaries who apply the new laws. Here, those

new governors could have made the difference and could have been honest, but no, they only
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knew the odious political way to rule inherit by their ancient slavers. And what happened in the

next years was continue inheriting the political power among politics families, to increase their

own wealth robbing the people with corruption. And that is what happening in modern times in

Colombia. Families with political renown govern in this time, using all their influence to

maintain their political position and filling their pockets with public procurement procedures

which they can manipulate. (Corruption in the Spanish Empire. (n.d.).

Nevertheless, in last years the Colombian government create laws and mechanisms to get

in better the participation in procurement procedures such as the new standard tender documents

that are improving regulation of public works procurement, regulated by Colombia Compra

Eficiente agency, or, the implementation of a web platform named SECOP II which acts both as

a tool for promoting the efficiency, transparency, equality and accessible, and as a high-quality

way to monitoring the procedures. This application will hope can be enforce in all government

entities by 2022. And that’s mean, if we combine the standard tender documents and the e-

procurement system implementation, the result will be competitivity and transparency, which

brings low prices, better competitors and more quality, three fundamentals pillars that defeat the

old ways that corrupt politicians used to rig procurement procedures. (Colombia's data-driven

procurement reforms increase competition. (2020, July 17). (Colombia Government (n.d.).

With another four pillars, in Colombia we could be combat political corruption if we

follow the successful case of Singapore. The Singapore strategy consist in, establish four pillars

of corruption control to eradicate it, all of them well-grounded in a political will which result is a

zero tolerance to corruption. Let´s see the pillars. First, Effective Laws, they are two laws,
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Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) and the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious

Crimes Act (CDSA), both together emphasize the implacable consequences who commit

corruption acts. Second, Independent Judiciary, that’s demonstrates the powers equality between

politics and justice and non-interference from politics in judicial issues. Third, Responsive Public

Service, in Singapore the public service and its functionaries respect and strict code of conduct of

the integrity, incorruptibility and transparency, and these are enshrined in law. And fourth,

Effective Enforcement, the Singapore government creates an agency to monitor, investigate and

supervise the violations of anti-corruptions laws, the agency name is Corrupt Practices

Investigation Bureau (CPIB) and it can act with absolute independence and only reports to Prime

Minister. (Lim, n.d.)

Finally, in recent times the Colombian government have made efforts to enhance its

reputation and send a reliable message to foreign investors to come to Colombia and create new

companies and help to social and economic development. So, if the foreign investors wants to

expend money in Colombia, he will be do it with some conditions, like strict laws against

corruption, financial benefits to investors, among others. When the investment happens and the

foreign company be established in Colombia, its demands helps that the corruption no continue,

and if the demands are not fulfilled, maybe the foreign investor will close the company and take

the money off and leave the country, and that’s means that will be many unemployed and the

economic stuck, and that is not popular. Combating Corruption. (n.d.). 

So, to conclude, if in Colombia will adopt the previous solutions, perhaps Colombia as a

nation could be begin to live a reborn, and the government institutions will have credibility,
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which means more investment, more citizen benefits, more equality. And the politicians forced

by those measures will have to change or they will get in jail by strict laws.

REFERENCES

Grattan, S. (2018, June 15). Colombia's rampant corruption a hot topic in presidential vote.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-colombia-election-corruption/colombias-rampant-
corruption-a-hot-topic-in-presidential-vote-idUSKBN1JB252

Corruption in the Spanish Empire. (n.d.). https://www2.lehigh.edu/news/corruption-spanish-

empire

Open for business: Colombia's data-driven procurement reforms increase competition. (2020,
July 17). https://www.open-contracting.org/2020/07/16/open-for-business-colombias-
data-driven-procurement-reforms-increase-competition/

Lim, Vincent (n.d). An overview of Singaporeʼs anti-corruption strategy and the role of the CPIB
in fighting corruption.
https://www.unafei.or.jp/publications/pdf/RS_No104/No104_18_VE_Lim_1.pdf

Colombia Government (n.d.). Guide for publics works´ Procurement Processes.

https://colombiacompra.gov.co/sites/cce_public/files/cce_documents/guia_obra_publi
ca_ing.pdf

Combating Corruption. (n.d.). https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/governance/brief/anti-

corruption
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