Colombia arrests former govt official in Odebrecht bribery case

[Judi Lynn]

Colombia arrests former govt official in Odebrecht bribery case

written by Reuters January 13, 2017



Colombia’s prosecutor general’s office has arrested an official in former president Alvaro Uribe‘s administration suspected of receiving $6.5 million in bribes from Brazil’s Odebrecht during a 2009 roadway contract, it said on Thursday.

Gabriel Garcia, who was director of an institute that managed roadway concessions and later Uribe’s vice minister of transport, is the first person arrested in connection with investigations into bribes by Odebrecht.

“The prosecutor general has evidence that Mr. Garcia sought payment of $6.5 million to guarantee that Odebrecht was the company chosen for the Ruta del Sol Dos, excluding other competitors,” attorney general Nestor Humberto Martinez told reporters.

He said an ongoing investigation would seek to establish who else was involved and said bribes worth $4.5 million had been paid to the Brazilian construction company during current President Juan Manuel Santos‘s administration.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-arrests-former-govt-official-odebrecht-bribery-case/

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Gabriel Garcia, right, with Alvaro Uribe

[Judi Lynn]

1. Colombia arrests ex-senator linked to Odebrecht graft scandal

Colombia arrests ex-senator linked to Odebrecht graft scandal
domingo 15 de enero de 2017 10:50 GYT


By Julia Symmes Cobb and Guillermo Parra-Bernal

BOGOTA/SAO PAULO Jan 15 (Reuters) - Colombian authorities have arrested a former senator for allegedly taking $4.6 million in bribes to help Odebrecht SA win a road-building contract, as fallout from a massive corruption scandal continues to bite Latin America's No. 1 engineering firm.

Otto Bula Bula, a Liberal Party senator until 2002, was tasked by Odebrecht with ensuring a certain number of higher-priced tolls were included in a contract to build the Ocaña-Gamarra highway, Colombia's Attorney General's office said late on Saturday.

"For his work, Odebrecht made $4.6 million in payments from Brazil," the statement said, adding that Bula faces charges for bribery and illicit enrichment.

Bula, who was arrested on Saturday, may also have breached foreign currency exchange rules, the statement said. The contract for Colombia's Ocaña-Gamarra road was awarded to the company in March 2014.

More:
http://lta.reuters.com/article/idLTAL1N1F5073?rpc=401&