Former Medellín mayor Sergio Fajardo presented this Wednesday one of the flags of his 2026 presidential campaign: the creation of a National Anti-Corruption Agency that reports directly to the Presidency, with the power to investigate, sanction, and recover stolen resources.
Fajardo, who will seek the head of state for the third time, affirmed that Colombia loses billions of pesos every year due to corrupt practices that affect basic services such as education and health.
“Public resources are sacred,” he emphasized during a press conference in Bogotá, where he explained that his objective is to “close the gaps through which money is stolen” and ensure that the use of state funds is transparent and monitored by the citizenry.
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Colombia does not have an anti-corruption agency, although it does have a Transparency Secretariat (dependent on the Presidency), as well as entities such as the Attorney General’s Office (Public Ministry), the Comptroller General’s Office and the Prosecutor’s Office, in charge of discipline, fiscal control and criminal investigation.
Among the motivations for his proposal, Fajardo alluded to the series of recent scandals that have tarnished the credibility of the State under the government of President Gustavo Petro, of whom he is a staunch critic.
One of them is the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), currently under investigation for alleged irregularities in public contracts that cover thousands of dollars.
Fajardo, candidate of the Dignity and Commitment party, who appears in third place in the voting intention polls, also proposed to prohibit those convicted of corruption from contracting with the State again, to promote citizen audits of public projects and to offer greater protection to those who report irregularities.
The first round of the presidential elections will be held on May 31, 2026, and the second, if necessary, on June 21.
