These are the governors of the Amazon investigated for corruption

The Colombian Attorney’s Office has launched an investigation into five current governors and two former governors from the Amazon region, accusing them of allegedly misappropriating three trillion pesos from the General System of Royalties (SGR) through the Mixed Fund for Infrastructure Promotion, Integral Development, and Social Management “Sierra Nevada.” The funds were allocated to 19 departments across the country for investment during 2025 and 2026, with the total amount representing 10% of the resources approved by Congress for these regions. The investigation was announced last week, following the seizure of documents by authorities. Among the five governors under scrutiny, four hail from the Amazon region. These include Óscar Sánchez, governor of Amazonas, who took office in 2023 with support from the Historical Pact-Colombia Can coalition. Before his gubernatorial term, he served as a member of the Amazonas Regional Assembly from 2011 to 2022. Luis Alfredo Gutiérrez, governor of Vaupés, made his political debut in this role. His campaign received backing from Gente en Movimiento, a relatively unknown political party founded in June 2021 in the department of Caldas by Mauricio Lizcano. Gutiérrez was previously sanctioned by the regional environmental authority, the Environmental Authority of the Region (CDA), for 92 million pesos. Fulberto Guevara, governor of Vichada, was elected on June 15, 2025, after Hecson Alexis Castro, the previous governor, was sentenced to seven years and nine months in prison due to an irregular contract while serving as mayor of Santa Rosalía between 2012 and 2015. Ferney López, governor of Guaviare, began his political career at age 19 as a councilor in El Retorno municipality (2012–2015). He later became a regional assembly delegate for the United Party in 2015 and 2019 before resigning in 2022 and running for governor through the Coalition Guaviare Seguimos Avanzando, which includes the Conservative Party, Independent Social Alliance, Peace Force, and Green Alliance. In addition to the governors, the Attorney’s Office has detained 13 individuals, including the mayor of María La Baja in Bolívar and the former mayor of La Paz in Cesar, along with officials from the mixed fund. The alleged misuse of funds involves several contracts, including three in Vichada totaling over 8 billion pesos in royalties from oil production. These projects remain unfinished and include the construction of a pedestrian bridge, improvements to urban roads in Primavera Vichada, and the design of a master plan, water supply system, and sewage network for the town. In Vaupés, the alleged misconduct relates to a project worth more than 90 billion pesos, involving the building of a school, sports facilities, and a secondary-level hospital. According to reports from La FM, similar allegations have been raised in Amazonas, where contracts reportedly involve road construction in rural areas near Leticia and the construction of a pedestrian bridge in La Playa district. In Guaviare, irregularities are linked to the expansion of the water supply and sewage systems in Calamar, valued at 3.349 billion pesos. Fulberto Guevara, the governor of Vichada, responded to the allegations in a video posted on his social media accounts. He stated that the contracts in question were not signed during his administration and therefore he is innocent. Guevara explained that he was elected on June 15, 2025, following the conviction of the previous governor, Hecson Alexis Benito Castro. “To clarify, the contracts currently being denounced by the Attorney’s Office were not signed by the departmental administration led by Fulberto Guevara, as they were signed during the year 2024 and the first half of 2025,” he said. Despite his denial, Guevara acknowledged that he must take responsibility as the current governor of the department. He further mentioned that his administration has repeatedly sought assistance from oversight bodies and the Fund to monitor the processes they are managing.