René Higuita, the renowned idol of national soccer, is in suspense awaiting the decision of the Constitutional Court on the review of a guardianship that seeks to recover the property that is currently in the hands of the Special Assets Society (SAE).
This legendary goalkeeper for the Colombian National Team and Atlético Nacional has been immersed in a legal battle that spans almost three decades. His objective is to demonstrate that the house he acquired in El Poblado, which ended up linked to alleged front men of the Medellín Cartel, was purchased in good faith. Higuita recounts his version of how he became involved in this tangled litigation, showing his frustration at the slow pace of the process and the transfers of the case, first to Bogotá and now to Montería.
Higuita expresses his dissatisfaction with the congestion of the Colombian judicial system, since it seems that the entire country is saturated and facilities are being sought for certain matters. He feels that defending his case in Montería gives him some convenience, although he also fears doubts and suspicions due to possible local influence in the process. In addition, he criticizes the apparent corruption in the SAE, since he does not understand where the assets seized by that institution go.
The former goalkeeper recounts that he received the summons for the case approximately four or five years after acquiring the property, around 1992 to 1996. From that moment, he began to defend himself against the accusations against him. During that period, he also faced threats that led him to take precautions and move to Guarne. However, he did not abandon the legal process and stood firm in his defense. Throughout those years, Higuita lived with the uncertainty of not knowing when the case would be resolved and hoped that once the Prosecutor’s Office determined that the property did not belong to him, he would be able to resume his normal life. However, he even went so far as to attempt his life by throwing a grenade at him, an incident that underscores the dangerousness and complexity of the case in which he was involved.
Higuita has always focused on his sports career and has stayed away from shady deals. However, in this particular case, he trusted his compadre Campo Elías Meneses and the representative of the owners of the house, a lady named Vicky, to carry out the transaction. At that time, he was concentrating with Atlético Nacional in Llanogrande, at the height of the Cup, when his compadre arrived to sign the business documents. The transaction involved the delivery of two apartments, one near the stadium and the other in Los Delfines, in Cartagena, as part of the payment for the property.
However, the situation became complicated when Higuita was sued for fraud, realizing that he himself had been the victim of a scam. Suddenly, he found himself in the position of being accused of being a con man. This was the starting point of a long and complex legal process. Upon reviewing the details of the agreement, Higuita discovered that his compadre Campo Elías had claimed to have paid in cash, which raised suspicions and doubts about the transparency of the business. Higuita was never aware of the real prices and Campo Elías did not inform him about it. In addition, there was a two-year delay in the delivery of the necessary documentation for the exchange, which increased doubts and inconsistencies.
In the midst of all this situation, Higuita was unaware of the relationship between Campo Elías and the alleged front men Moncada, linked to the Medellín Cartel. Although Higuita got to know Pablo Escobar and was at La Catedral, he had no dealings with the Moncadas or the Galeanos. Surprisingly, the woman with whom Campo Elías carried out the business, María Victoria, died or was assassinated before she could give a statement. During the process, it was discovered that the original owners were front men, but Higuita insists that neither he nor Campo Elías could have known about this situation.
In an even more unexpected twist, Higuita received a call from an individual nicknamed “Lengua,” who claimed that the disputed house belonged to his aunt, but none of the properties were registered in his name. Since Higuita had won the case, “Lengua” asked him for financial collaboration. Subsequently, Higuita discovered that the deceased husband of a woman named Alba, with whom Campo Elías had carried out the business, was another figurehead. In the midst of this confusion, Higuita was asked to pay them 500 million pesos and, shortly after, his house was attacked with a grenade. A friend revealed to him that the reason for the attack was the alleged breach of the promise to deliver those 500 million pesos. Higuita found himself trapped in a mess from which he did not know if he would win or lose money.
In short, Higuita is facing a complicated and protracted legal process, in which he has fought for decades to prove that he acquired the property in good faith. The case has gone through various stages, from the Prosecutor’s Office to the SAE, and is now awaiting the decision of the Constitutional Court. Despite the uncertainties and challenges he has faced, Higuita remains hopeful that justice will be done and trusts that the legal system will provide the answers he so seeks.