Photo: Fundación ProBogotá - Flickr.
The Office of the Attorney General summoned the former mayor of Bogotá, Claudia López, for questioning in relation to an investigation into alleged acts of corruption and illegal financing of a political campaign. This case focuses on possible irregularities in the financing of the metro project in Bogotá and the alleged illegal financing of Senator Angélica Lozano's campaign, from the Green Party and Claudia López's wife.
The investigation became public last September when Semana magazine revealed fragments of the Prosecutor's investigation. Claudia López responded then, describing the investigation as an attempt to defame her, her administration, her political party, the Green Party, and the Metro project in Bogotá.
Despite these accusations, the Prosecutor's Office continues its investigation, centered on several phone recordings ordered in 2022 regarding the communications of José Joaquín Silva Ardila, a Ministry of Transport official at the time.
These recordings, made between January and March 2022, involve conversations with a Chinese citizen identified as William or Dong, discussing alleged acts of corruption related to the construction of the Bogotá Metro. These conversations mention bribes amounting to over $12 billion, as well as the involvement of Green Party members, including Senator Angélica Lozano.
In the intercepted and revealed audios by Semana magazine, financial transactions are mentioned, which could have been divided into two parts, adding up to the aforementioned amount, as well as the payment of bribes totaling over $10 billion and over $6 billion destined to finance political campaigns. The conversations also directly refer to Claudia López and Angélica Lozano, suggesting their alleged involvement in the investigated events.
In one of the recordings, Silva Ardila mentions having met with Chinese citizens related to the metro project and receiving information about money transfers to the mayor's office in Bogotá, specifically to Claudia López. This audio, dated March 7, 2022, suggests a possible link between the received funds and the awarding of public contracts.
The charges under investigation include bribery, illicit enrichment, and undue interest in contract signing, indicating a possible corruption network affecting key infrastructure and transportation projects in Bogotá. Despite denials by López and Lozano, the Prosecutor's Office continues its investigation to clarify these serious allegations.
Claudia López's summons for questioning does not imply direct involvement in the criminal process; likewise, both López and Lozano have denied any involvement in acts of corruption or illegal financing of political campaigns.
In a joint statement, López and Lozano insisted that the accusations are unfounded and that during a hearing before the Supreme Court, both they and the other parties involved denied knowing each other or participating in wrongdoing. They stated that the summons for questioning was issued two weeks ago and not recently as leaked to the press.
While this situation represents a further step in the investigation, it remains to be seen if the Prosecutor's Office will formally close the case, as López and Lozano hope. Both politicians have denounced that Semana magazine's initial publication was a setup aimed at defaming their reputations, and they affirm their commitment to collaborate with authorities to clarify any misunderstandings regarding this matter.
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