The curious case of the mayor of Bogota
The curious case of the mayor of Bogota
Gustavo Petro's legal team has filed more than 500 complaints to the Constitutional Court about his ousting.
Last modified: 17 Dec 2013 20:28
Alessandro Rampietti
Gustavo Petro was not a popular mayor. In his two years in office at the head of this chaotic city of eight million people, he had lost many allies and supporters. His aloof and often arrogant style had pushed his ratings way down in the polls.
Still, when Colombia’s Inspector General Alejandro Ordoñez announced his decision to remove Petro, and ban him from running for office for 15 years, many here disagreed.
Petro might not have been the most effective manager but his administration was not as corrupt as some of his predecessors they reasoned. For many, the penalty seemed disproportionate to the mistakes.
The inspector general also sanctioned Bogota's previous mayor, Samuel Moreno, who is accused of serious corruption charges, but simply suspended him for a year.
Petro’s sin was that he botched the overhaul of the city’s garbage collection and management system which had been in the hands of private companies.
More:
http://blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/americas/curious-case-mayor-bogota