Colombian Prosecutor’s Office charges former candidate Zuluaga

First modification: 07/10/2023 – 15:54

Report from our correspondent in Bogotá

Although the investigation has been going on for several years, some audios revealed in the media last week show that Zuluaga was aware of it, which led to his resignation from the right-wing Centro Democrático party, the rejection of his former colleagues, and the summons to the Prosecutor’s Office.

“I have never committed acts of corruption”this way Óscar Iván Zuluaga, former Colombian presidential candidate, denied in 2019 any ties to the Brazilian multinational Odebrecht.

And although he publicly said one thing, some audios revealed last week show that the right-wing Colombian politician knew that money from the multinational had entered his campaign.

What represented for him not only the rejection of his then party, the opposition Democratic Center, which had defended him so far, but also the summons to the Prosecutor’s Office this Monday.

After years of investigations in which there have been no sanctions against important politicians, as has happened in the rest of Latin America, the Colombian accusing body will accuse Óscar Iván Zuluaga, former Minister of Finance of former President Álvaro Uribe, of falsehood. in a private document, procedural fraud, and illicit enrichment of individuals.

In summary, the Prosecutor’s Office is investigating whether at least 1.6 million dollars from Odebrecht entered the presidential campaign of the then candidate in 2014, this in the form of payment of fees to the Brazilian political strategist Eduardo “Duda” Mendonça.

This accusation represents a blow to the Colombian right-wing opposition, which was gaining momentum after the recent scandals against the presidency of leftist Gustavo Petro.