BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia’s inspector general confirmed yesterday the ouster of Bogota Mayor Gustavo Petro, despite weeks of protest over the move and widespread support for the former leftist rebel.
Petro appealed the December 9 decision, and has since rallied tens of thousands to central Plaza Bolivar to protest his removal from Colombia’s second-most powerful post and a 15-year ban from holding political office.
The nation’s chief inspector, Alejandro Ordonez, rejected the appeal yesterday, saying its disciplinary chamber had found him responsible for “three serious errors in the implementation of the new cleanup model in the city of Bogota.”
Ordonez removed Petro from office after ruling the mayor mishandled changes to garbage collection in the city of 8 million. Ordonez said it created a health hazard as rubbish piled up on the streets in 2012.
