Court Suspends Colombian Government Passport Agreement Due to Poor Planning

The Administrative Tribunal of Cundinamarca has temporarily suspended the agreements between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Printing Office, and the Casa da Moeda of Portugal for the issuance of a new passport model. The court cited a succession of unfulfilled schedules, contradictory institutional reports, and a lack of verifiable evidence regarding infrastructure and personnel. The magistrates described the situation as improvised planning that makes the actual state of execution impossible to establish. Despite the suspension of the agreements, the court ordered that the passport service must continue to be provided to citizens in a continuous and uninterrupted manner.

The government has 20 days to provide a detailed report on the execution of the agreements, including the current status of implementation and the security of the locations where passports are stored and personalized. The suspension will remain in effect until the involved entities can objectively demonstrate the progress of the new model and the availability of passport booklets. Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara is currently leading the National Printing Office following the resignation of Viviana León.

Government sources told El Espectador that they are analyzing whether to use a legal figure such as manifest urgency to guarantee service, which could involve returning the process to the previous contractor, Thomas Greg and Sons. Former manager Viviana León disputed this possibility, stating that it would be impossible for Thomas Greg to assume the process at this time due to the preparation required for security printing. Former President Gustavo Petro has framed the situation as a potential fraud on social media, expressing concern that returning the contract to Thomas Greg could expose Colombian databases to foreign police surveillance for fascist anti immigration purposes. He has called for a political control debate and asked the Inspector General to review his complaints.