A Colombian fraud and corruption watchdog said Monday that it has sued the country’s prosecutor general for allegedly evading more than $25 million in taxes.
The lawsuit was filed by Pablo Bustos, the president of fraud and corruption watchdog RedVer, before both the court and the investigative committee of the House of Representatives.
According to Bustos, the prosecutor general committed tax fraud while working as a legal adviser for health care provider Saludcoop, which was put under government control after major corruption scandals.
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Saludcoop is a private insurance company called EPS that is in charge of financing health care of Colombian citizens. Prosecutor General Eduardo Montealegre used to be the company’s legal adviser.
The president of RedVer told Colombia Reports that Montealegre failed to report hundreds of millions of dollars in income while being paid by the company.
“We got a prosecutor general who doesn’t pay taxes but nevertheless obligates Colombians to do so. There is a law that says you have to pay taxes, so why isn’t he doing so?” Bustos rhetorically asked Colombia Reports.
The EPS was re-possessed by the government in 2011 for inconsistencies found in its financial operations and the flow of money in the treasury in regards to debt payments.
Montealegre’s role in the Saludcoop scandal forced Comptroller General Sandra Morelli who has seen several criminal investigations opened against her after openly criticizing the prosecutor general.
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Sources
- Denuncian al Fiscal General por evasión de impuestos (El Espectador)
- Interview with Pablo Bustos