In a poignant 11-page letter addressed to the Public Ministry, Olmedo López expresses his deep sense of betrayal by the prosecution. As a key collaborator in unveiling a sprawling corruption scandal that infiltrated the highest levels of President Gustavo Petro's administration, López now feels forgotten. He claims to have broken a "pact of silence" to advance the investigation, only to find himself left in the shadows.

López positions himself as a model witness, stating, "While others continue to negotiate their silence, I offered my complete truth," emphasizing that he did so at great personal risk, without making any dark deals. He insists that his testimony was crucial in implicating figures such as Sandra Ortiz, a former presidential advisor.

The letter followed a judge's rejection of López's plea agreement with the prosecution, which had proposed a sentence of six years in prison and a fine of 724 million pesos. The judge deemed the penalty "insignificant" given the gravity of López's crimes, which included embezzling over 25,000 million pesos (approximately 6 million USD) from the state. The Public Ministry did not contest the decision.

López criticizes the prosecution's silence, interpreting it as a loud abandonment that leaves him vulnerable to those he implicated. He describes his current state as one of "legal, personal, and familial defenselessness."

In May 2024, López sought an agreement with the prosecution to recount how he inflated contract costs within his agency to finance bribes for former congressional leaders Iván Name and Andrés Calle, aiming to garner support for the government's social reforms.

López's accusations extend to Carlos Ramón González, a former confidant of Petro, and Ricardo Bonilla, an ex-finance minister. He claims they instructed him to offer contracts to lawmakers in exchange for legislative votes.

The letter also reveals López's refusal of a 13,000-million-peso bribe intended to buy his silence. He reported the offer to the prosecution, asserting that his commitment to justice outweighed any financial pressure.

López is not alone in this quagmire; Sneyder Pinilla, the UNGRD's former deputy director, struck a deal for a 45% sentence reduction and became the first to be sentenced in the diversion of funds scandal. Conversely, the Public Ministry announced that Ortiz, charged with money laundering and influence peddling, can no longer seek a plea deal.

Concluding his letter, López calls on the prosecution to uphold and defend the plea agreement and urges recognition of his status as a victim of bribery attempts. He poses a stark warning: "If the state abandons the first to speak, the one who broke the silence and unveiled the truth, who will dare to tell what no one else wants to hear?"