Senator Ivan Moreno, arrested earlier on Thursday for his involvement in the Bogota public works corruption scandal, has proclaimed his innocence, Caracol Radio reports.
In the first statement to be released since his arrest, Moreno declared himself to be “the victim of a perverse strategy [drawn up] by a powerful clan of fraudsters,” adding, “You cannot reward the guilty and punish the righteous.”
Moreno stated that despite his anger over the detention, he respects the decision of the courts and will utilize this “opportunity” to reveal the Nule Group as “criminals” who have no proof against him and that it has all been part of a grand smear campaign.
Moreno’s lawyer denounced the decision furthermore, claiming that his client has not even been allowed a cell phone to contact his family while others implicated in the case have been granted several benefits, RCN Radio reported.
No details regarding specific benefits or the people he was referring to were provided.
Moreno was arrested at his family’s home in the La Soledad neighborhood of Bogota earlier on Thursday by members of the Technical Investigation Team (CTI), based on a decision taken by the Supreme Court after testimony given by Nule Group member Mauricio Galofre.
The Group has accused Moreno of receiving an illegal commission of six percent for the awarding of the public works contracts, an amount equal to $5.628 million (COP 10.5 billion). The directors also have said that they met with Moreno on more than four occasions in both Bogota and Miami.
All members of the construction conglomerate are currently in La Picota prison in Bogota awaiting their own corruption trial for the alleged fraudulent filing for bankruptcy and withholding tax payments to the Colombian state.