Colombia Court Grants Bail to Iván Name on 9 October
COLOMBIA · JUSTICE
Key Facts
- —The country Colombia, a close US security partner in South America, is trying former leaders of its Congress in one of its biggest recent corruption scandals.
- —What happened On Friday 9 October 2026, Colombia’s Supreme Court granted bail to former Congress leaders Iván Name and Andrés Calle.
- —Who they are Name is a former president of the Senate and Calle a former president of the House of Representatives, Colombia’s two chambers of Congress.
- —Why the court acted Their trial had not opened 12 months after the charges became final, the legal limit in this case. That deadline passed on 7 October.
- —The accusation The indictment says Iván Name was to get 3 billion pesos (about US$927,000) and Calle 1 billion pesos (about US$309,000) to back reforms.
- —What it means for you The case is a test of whether Colombian courts can convict top lawmakers for graft, and it is moving slowly.
- —Still open Each man must post bail of about 17.5 million pesos (about US$5,400) and sign a commitment before he can leave prison.
Colombia’s Supreme Court on Friday 9 October granted bail to Iván Name and Andrés Calle, former heads of the Senate and House. Their bribery trial had not opened 12 months after the charges became final, the legal limit in their case.
The two men are accused of taking bribes, paid with money linked to Colombia’s disaster-relief agency, to back the previous government’s reforms. For Americans who invest in Colombia, the case tests whether its courts can punish graft at the top of Congress.
What the Supreme Court Decided
The decision came from the Supreme Court’s Special First Instance Chamber, which tries members of Congress. In a statement on 9 October, the court said it had granted a request from the defence lawyers of both men.
The full names in the ruling are Iván Leónidas Name Vásquez and Andrés David Calle Aguas. The order, Auto AEP140-2026, applies Article 365 of Law 600 of 2000, the older criminal procedure code that still governs their case.
That rule frees a detained defendant if the trial has not opened six months after the charges become final. The limit doubles to 12 months when the court has ordered evidence from abroad, as it did here.
The charges became final on 7 October 2025, so the 12 months ran out on Wednesday 7 October 2026, the ruling says. Iván Name and Calle had been held in this case since 7 May 2025.
The chamber said the delay was not caused by its own negligence or by defence stalling tactics. Since March it has heard 12 witnesses and worked to obtain documents ordered as evidence.
Bail and Conditions
The release is not automatic. Each man must post bail of 10 monthly minimum wages, or 17,509,050 pesos (about US$5,400), Infobae reported.
The bail can be paid in cash or through an insurance policy. Each man must also sign a written commitment and tell the court exactly where he can be found.
Breaking those terms can bring a fine and the loss of the release, the ruling warns. La Picota, the prison in southern Bogotá where both were held, must first check that no other authority wants them.
The parties can still challenge the order through a request for reconsideration or an appeal.
The Water-Truck Scandal Behind the Case
The case grew out of the UNGRD, Colombia’s national disaster risk management unit, which handles relief after floods, droughts and earthquakes. The alleged scheme took place under former president Gustavo Petro, a leftist who governed from 2022 to 2026.
The indictment says senior Petro officials agreed in September 2023 to pay the heads of both chambers to back pension and health reforms. The cash was allegedly delivered between 12 and 14 October 2023.
The indictment says the money came from a loan that was later repaid with a kickback from a contract for 40 water trucks. The trucks were for La Guajira, a desert region on the Caribbean coast, and sit at the heart of the water-tanker scandal.
That contract was worth 46.8 billion pesos (about US$14.5 million). Olmedo López and Sneyder Pinilla, the agency’s former director and deputy director, are the key witnesses, La Silla Vacía reported.
Iván Name and Calle reject the accusations, Asuntos Legales reported, and both are presumed innocent until a court rules. In a separate case, a court has barred Name from Congress for life over his absences from Senate debates on the pension reform.
Peso amounts are converted at about 3,237 pesos to the US dollar on 10 October 2026.
Why the Trial Took So Long
In April, the same chamber refused to free Iván Name and Calle, ruling that their deadline was 12 months, not six. The Supreme Court’s Criminal Cassation Chamber upheld that decision on 22 July.
The pending evidence includes testimony from Carlos Ramón González, who ran the presidency’s administrative department under Petro, Asuntos Legales reported. He is also under investigation in the scandal and has been in Nicaragua for more than two years, Semana reported.
Separately, INPEC, Colombia’s prison service, has ordered López and Pinilla moved to La Picota from military bases, La Silla Vacía reported.
What It Means for You
For tourists, nothing changes: the ruling has no effect on travel, visas or security in Colombia. For investors, it shows how slowly criminal trials of Colombian politicians can move, even in a high-profile graft case.
The ruling came from the courts, not from President Abelardo De La Espriella, a conservative lawyer in office since 7 August 2026. A verdict on Iván Name will show how far the courts are willing to go against top lawmakers.
What Is Not Known
It is not known when Iván Name and Calle will leave La Picota, since bail must be paid and the checks completed first. The court also gave no date for the opening of the trial hearing.
It is not known whether Carlos Ramón González will ever testify, or whether any party will challenge the release. No date for a verdict has been set.
More: Colombia news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Iván Name and Andrés Calle?
Iván Name is a former president of Colombia’s Senate, and Andrés Calle a former president of the House of Representatives. Both are on trial before the Supreme Court over bribes linked to the UNGRD disaster-relief agency.
Why did Colombia’s Supreme Court release them?
Law 600 of 2000 frees a detained defendant if the trial has not opened six months after the charges become final. The limit is 12 months when evidence must come from abroad, and the court found it ran out on 7 October.
Does the release mean Iván Name was cleared?
No. The release is provisional and the trial goes on. Each man must post bail of about 17.5 million pesos (about US$5,400) and sign a commitment, and both reject the accusations.
What is the UNGRD scandal?
It is a corruption case at Colombia’s national disaster risk management unit under the Petro government. The indictment says bribes to Congress leaders in October 2023 came from a loan repaid with a water-truck contract kickback.
Sources: Corte Suprema de Justicia, 9 October 2026; Corte Suprema de Justicia, Auto AEP140-2026, 9 October 2026; La Silla Vacía, 9 October 2026; Infobae Colombia, 9 October 2026; Semana, 9 October 2026; Asuntos Legales, 28 July 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief