Óscar Iván Zuluaga, former 2014 presidential candidate, appears virtually this Monday, July 10, starting at 8:00 a.m., before Court 42 of Bogotá guarantee control, within the framework of the judicial process against him for allegedly having received Odebrecht money.
The prosecutor in charge, Andrés Palencia Fajardo, read the charges against the former Uribismo candidate, who would have received 1.6 million dollars from the Brazilian multinational to pay for the services of publicist José Eduardo Cavalcanti de Mendoça, known as ‘Duda’ Mendoça.
“In 2014, the then candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, Óscar Iván Zuluaga Escobar, would have met on several occasions, in his apartment in the north of Bogotá, with the former director of Odebrecht in Colombia, Eleuberto Antonio Martorelli,” the prosecutor read. delegate.
Subsequently, the judicial official recounted in detail the form and amounts of the contract with the aforementioned publicist. They agreed on 1.6 million dollars that were delivered as a donation by Odebrecht, according to the accusing entity, which were not registered in the official accounts of the campaign or before the National Electoral Council (CNE).
“In accordance with the agreement, between June and July 2014, Odebrecht transferred $1,610,000 to the accounts of a company that the well-known publicist had in Panama. In this way, the presidential candidate, presumably, finished covering the fees of ‘Duda’ Mendoça”, said the prosecutor.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Zuluaga went to Daniel García Arizabaleta, who had contacts in Brazil, for Odebrecht to help him in his presidential campaign and Eleuberto Antonio Martorelli told him that Duda Mendoça could provide him with advertising services. Later, there was a meeting in which everything was agreed, which took place in São Paulo, on February 6, 2014, where Iván Duque, Mendoça and Zuluaga were present.
After that meeting, Mendoça explained what his rates were and indicated that the Brazilian multinational offered to cover those expenses, to which the then presidential candidate accepted.
To camouflage part of this illegal contribution to the presidential campaign, the payments would have been achieved through three contracts: one with JECM Escritorio de Consultoría for $420,000; another for $280,000, and another for $120,000. “In sum, the contracts with the Brazilian companies reached a value of 1,258,000 dollars; while with the Colombian company they amounted to 744 million pesos, which was equivalent to 387,021 dollars. This means that the Zuluaga Presidente 2014-2018 campaign paid the Brazilian publicist $1,645,021,” explained prosecutor Palencia Fajardo.
In addition, the prosecuting entity is investigating three other contracts: one for technical consulting signed on April 4, 2014 with JECM Escritorio de Consultoría Ltda, for $598,000; another on April 16 with MPB Marketing Político SAS, for 464,000 million, which had the same purpose; and the last one, signed on the 17th of that month for $120,000.
On the other hand, the transfers that Odebrecht made to Topsail Holding, a Mendoça company, were recorded. The first was for $475,000, the second was for $500,000, and the third was for $635,740. All this added up to a total of 3,000 million pesos for the time.
Once the electoral contest ended, in which Juan Manuel Santos was the winner, Zuluaga submitted a report in which he did not report the money that Odebrecht gave him to finance Mendoça’s services. The prosecutor also stressed that the former candidate did not have the financial means to pay such an amount of money.
For all these reasons, the Prosecutor’s Office charged Zuluaga with the crimes of forgery in a private document, procedural fraud and illicit enrichment of individuals, because he “instrumented the manager and director of the campaign to alter the truth.”
“It is not possible to speak of an oversight because no modification was made to include the contributions or donations made by Odebrecht, that is to say that despite this second opportunity, you Mr. Zuloaga Escobar promoted a report that was not in accordance with reality,” said the prosecutor.
The prosecutor explained each of the accusations. Regarding the accusation of illicit enrichment, he explained: “Moved by the thirst for triumph in his presidential aspiration, he had no scruples to resort to the malicious favors of the Odebrecht company, channeled through Daniel García Arizabaleta, which you give him to to be able to reach ‘Duda’, recognized in politics and campaigns”.
The head of Court 42 for control of guarantees endorsed the accusation around 12:19 noon and says that both Óscar Iván Zuluaga and his son, David Zuluaga, accused in the same hearing for procedural fraud, will not be able to dispose of assets within the next six months.
The defendants did not accept charges
At the end of the hearing, the judge asked the two defendants if they understood the accusations, to which both answered yes. She then asked them if they accepted the charges. “Your Honor, I do not accept the charges,” the former presidential candidate replied, and his son said: “Madam Judge, I do not accept the charges” With Infobae