Two of Colombia’s most powerful former lawmakers are leaving prison before their bribery trial begins. On Friday, 9 October, the Supreme Court granted bail to former Senate president Iván Name and former House of Representatives president Andrés Calle after the 12-month legal limit for opening their trial expired. The court’s Special First Instance Chamber, which tries members of Congress, granted a request from the men’s defence lawyers.
This is no minor case. Prosecutors allege that both congressional chamber leaders received payments to support pension and health reforms, with the money coming from a scandal at the UNGRD, the national disaster risk management unit that handles relief after floods, droughts and earthquakes.
What the Court Decided
The order, Auto AEP140-2026, applies Article 365 of Law 600 of 2000, the criminal procedure code governing their case. The rule allows release if a trial hasn’t opened six months after charges become final. That limit extends to 12 months when the court orders evidence from abroad. Charges became final on 7 October 2025, and the court said the extended deadline expired on Wednesday, 7 October 2026. Name and Calle had been held in this case since 7 May 2025.
The chamber said clearly that it wasn’t responsible for the delay. It said neither negligence nor defence stalling tactics caused the delay. Since March, the chamber has heard 12 witnesses and worked to obtain documents ordered as evidence.
Release isn’t automatic. Each man must post bail of 10 monthly minimum wages, or 17,509,050 pesos (about US$5,400), in cash or through an insurance policy. They must each sign a written commitment and tell the court exactly where they can be found. Breaking the conditions could bring a fine and loss of release. La Picota prison in southern Bogotá must first check that no other authority wants them. It’s unknown when they’ll walk out, and the court hasn’t set a date for the trial hearing.
The Allegations
The indictment says senior officials in former president Gustavo Petro’s government agreed in September 2023 to pay both chamber leaders for supporting pension and health reforms. Petro governed from 2022 to 2026. The money allegedly changed hands between 12 and 14 October 2023. Name was allegedly set to receive 3 billion pesos (about US$927,000), and Calle 1 billion pesos (about US$309,000).
Where did the money come from? According to the indictment, a loan was later repaid with a kickback from a contract for 40 water trucks intended for La Guajira, a desert region on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. The 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 key witnesses. Name and Calle reject the accusations and remain presumed innocent unless a court rules otherwise.
A Case Still Waiting on Evidence
In April, the same chamber refused to release the men, ruling that the deadline was 12 months, not six. The Supreme Court’s Criminal Cassation Chamber upheld that decision on 22 July. Evidence still pending includes testimony from Carlos Ramón González, who led the presidency’s administrative department under Petro. González is also under investigation in the scandal and has been in Nicaragua for more than two years. Separately, INPEC, Colombia’s prison service, ordered López and Pinilla transferred from military bases to La Picota.
In a separate case, a court has barred Name from Congress for life because of absences from Senate debates on pension reform. The parties can challenge the bail order through reconsideration or an appeal, and the report said it’s unknown whether González will testify or whether anyone will contest the release.
Why This Matters: The ruling shows how procedural clocks can free defendants in a case involving public money meant for disaster relief. The UNGRD exists to help people hit by floods, droughts and earthquakes, while La Guajira is a desert region where water trucks were supposed to serve communities. The court stressed that bail isn’t an acquittal, and both men remain presumed innocent. Still, no trial date has been set, and a key witness, Carlos Ramón González, has been in Nicaragua for more than two years. The case tests whether Colombia’s justice system can move fast enough to hold powerful officials accountable. Slow-moving trials can erode public trust in democratic institutions, especially when the alleged scheme linked legislation affecting health and pensions to payments.