Colombia’s Inspector General banned seven city councillors from office for 18 years after finding them guilty of coercing two colleagues at gunpoint, said local media Friday.
According to reports, Oromario Abella, Rafael Castro, German Orozco, Luis Carlos Perez, Jose Reynaldo Perez, Alejandro Barragan, and Rafael Gonzalez forced two fellow city councilors to make statments on video accusing the then mayor of the central eastern city of Yopal, Lilian Fernanda Salcedo, of corruption.
According to El Tiempo one of the victims Cristobal Torres said, “They forced us into a room with a video camera and pointed guns at us. The forced me to make false statements about the mayor.”
Reports say the two victims were also forced to sign resignation papers in exchange for $11,180. The papers were to be used in case the two did not vote in agreement with the seven city councilors on up coming projects.
All seven of the convicted were members of former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe’s political party Partido de la U.