Colombia’s Supreme Court sentenced former Conservative Party Senator Alirio Villamizar to nine years and nine months in jail for extortion, after he pressured a notary official to give him money in order to keep her job.
The court ruled that Villamizar was guilty of demanding that Bucaramanga Notary 11 employee Luz Janeth Rojas half of the office’s turnover in order to retain her position. To ensure payment Villamizar forced Rojas and her husband to sign a document promising to pay the ex-senator the money.
However when the notary did not do as well as expected, Villamizar began to pressure Rojas, which led her to report him to the police.
The court also fined Villamizar over COP300,000 and barred him from public office for eight years.
The former senator turned himself in to authorities after the Supreme Court issued a warrant for his arrest. COP730 million were found at his Bucaramanga residence, allegedly a bribe to buy his vote for President Alvaro Uribe’s re-election.