Corruption risks and anti-corruption framework in Bogotá District

This Anti-Corruption Helpdesk brief was produced in response to a query from a U4 Partner Agency. The U4 Helpdesk is operated by Transparency International in collaboration with the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre based at the Chr. Michelsen Institute.

Query

Please provide an overview of corruption and anti-corruption efforts in Bogotá, with a particular focus on climate related projects.

Summary

In Bogotá, decentralised governance, informal political networks and short-term contracting create fertile ground for corruption, including in climate adaptation initiatives. As the city faces mounting climate risks, adaptation projects have attracted growing public investment, but heightened integrity vulnerabilities. While Bogotá has developed robust anti-corruption frameworks and institutional oversight mechanisms, implementation gaps and fragmented accountability continue to enable both grand and petty corruption across the public sector.

Main points

• Bogotá has established and maintained an integrity and compliance framework at the district level, which has endured across successive administrations and political leaderships. These measures include institutional mechanisms for transparency and integrity, such as risk maps and codes of ethics, that extend to major state entities, including public service providers.
• Bogotá is the only capital city in Latin America that has its own transparency index (TB), specifically designed to measure corruption risks in its public management, in collaboration with Transparency International – Colombia Chapter.
• Bogotá’s hybrid decentralised governance model, with public, mixed and private service provision, intends to bring administration closer to citizens. Nonetheless, this has created fragmented accountability structures that increase corruption risks at both central and local levels.
• Political patronage and discretionary contracting practices, especially through short-term service contracts, undermine meritocracy, institutional memory and transparency, making public administration vulnerable to clientelism and mismanagement. This context also serves to discourage individuals’ use of whistleblowing mechanisms.
• Petty and grand corruption coexist, with bribery (mordidas), irregular local contracting and major embezzlement scandals – like the “contracting carousel” – demonstrating systemic governance failures.
• Urban planning and climate adaptation projects, including water infrastructure and land-use reforms, are targeted by private actors seeking to influence public decisions, often prioritising profit over sustainability or equity.
• Major climate adaptation initiatives, such as the Bogotá River restoration and Canoas Wastewater Treatment Plant, have exhibited procurement irregularities, evidence of bid rigging and high-profile corruption allegations involving both public and private actors.
• Corruption in climate related public services reduces both the quantity and quality of outcomes, weakening resilience, delaying infrastructure delivery and undermining public trust in adaptation efforts.

Authors

Maria Leonor Rodriguez Pratt

Reviewed by

Gabriela Camacho (TI); Sandra Martinez, Mario Blanco (Transparencia por Colombia)

Daniela Cepeda Cuadrado (U4)

Date

04/11/2025

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