Colombian lawmaker jailed for influence peddling

A Colombian congresswoman and former actress was sentenced to five years of house arrest Wednesday for trying to influence a court case involving her husband.

The court found Lucero Cortes guilty of trying to bribe a judge to rule in her husband’s favor who was facing swindling charges.

She pressured the same judge to sanction the lawyer who had brought the case against her husband, the courts ruled.

Cortes has been under house arrest since April of last year by order of the Supreme Court. In her appearance before the court, Cortes asserted her innocence, calling the charges against her an “economic persecution.”

The incarcerated politician began her career as a soap opera actress and later became one of the most influential politicians in the U Party of President Juan Manuel Santos.

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