César Pachón responds to Gustavo Bolívar over late ADR contracts
The director of the Rural Development Agency (ADR), César Pachón, rejected public criticism from Gustavo Bolívar regarding multimillion-peso contracts signed at the last minute, declaring that “you don’t shoot a comrade in the back” amid a growing political dispute within Colombia’s Pacto Histórico coalition.
The exchange centers on administrative actions taken by the ADR, including a controversial decision to enable a Saturday as a working day to rush through contract approvals. According to reports from El Espectador, the Ministry of Agriculture questioned the agency’s weekend scheduling and announced a formal review of the contested agreements.
Political fallout and calls for removal
El Tiempo reported that critics have petitioned for Pachón, a former senator from the Pacto Histórico, to be declared “insubsistente” (removed from office), with one critic labeling the actions sharply.
Caracol Radio reported that other representatives within the Pacto Histórico have voiced concern, warning that the contracting practices overseen by the ADR director appear opaque and warrant deeper institutional scrutiny. The friction highlights internal divisions regarding administrative transparency and executive oversight within current public agencies.
Ministry intervention and review process
The Ministry of Agriculture stepped in following public disclosures about the weekend administrative push at the ADR. State oversight bodies and ministry officials are examining whether the rush-approved contracts met standard public contracting norms and whether designating a non-working day for final sign-offs complied with internal agency regulations.
