First it was the “para-politics” scandal which linked Colombian politicians and government allies with right-wing paramilitaries. Then came the FARC-politica brouhaha where opposition figures had been accused of close ties with leftist guerillas. Now the latest Colombian corruption scandal revolves around accusations by a former senator over the buying of votes by the government.
Yesterday Colombia's Supreme Court sentenced ex-legislator Yidis Medina to three years and four months of house arrest after she confessed that she was bribed in order to pass an amendment permitting presidential reelection. The Yidis-politica affair has led to the investigation of numerous senior government members including an ex-Interior Minister and a top advisor to President Alvaro Uribe (image).
According to Medina’s testimony, she was offered quite a prize by the government for her support:
On another occasion Medina was called to the presidential palace and met with (ex-Interior Minister Sabas) Pretelt De La Vega, President Uribe and members of the presidential staff. In that meeting “they expressed their concern about my vote and asked what I wanted in return for supporting the bill,” Medina claims.
During that meeting, Medina says, Pretelt De La Vega explicitly mentioned the possibility of offering her a consulate.
Despite mounting evidence of government corruption and malfeasance a poll released today showed that most Colombians in the five largest cities would grant Uribe a third term in the presidency. The results reflect Uribe’s high popularity throughout the country and shows that he’s untouchable in the eyes of most Colombians.
Though Colombians have mobilized en masse to march against violence it’s too bad that there isn’t a widespread protest against the fraud that has hurt the country.
Image- BBC News
Sources (English)- Colombia Reports, The Latin Americanist
Sources (Spanish)- Caracol Radio, RCN, El Espectador
Unfortunately, the black market in drugs created by the US Congress has fueled thousands of massacres in Colombia. This Second Prohibition is the source of funding for not just paramilitary and guerrillas in Colombia but in Afghanistan, helping AlQaeda's allies the Taliban reconstitute, as well as many other places around the globe.
ReplyDeleteBut hey, DynCorp, Blackwater and good old boys, er I mean law enforcement now have a source of funding themselves.