The son of ex-President Alvaro Uribe admitted to meeting with a director of the Nule group who is being prosecuted for corruption in a public works scandal, but insisted the meetings were casual and social.
Tomas Uribe Moreno told a hearing investigating the Nule group he had met Miguel Nule, one of the three heads of the Nule group, twice, once in Panama and once by chance when he was leaving the office of lawyer Jaime Granados.
Tomas claimed the meetings lasted under an hour and they did not once discuss government contracts.
According to Tomas, his father, ex-President Alvaro Uribe, told his sons, “people are going to propose a lot of business to you in this life, don’t do a single one that has to do with the state.”
Tomas’ testimony contradicts previous claims made by Miguel Nule that Tomas attempted to bring the Nule Group and a Brazilian construction firm together in a joint bid for a public works contract during his father’s presidency.
Nule, along with his brother Manuel and cousin Guido, has been charged with embezzlement by appropriation, fraud, misrepresentation, bribery and conspiracy for his role in the awarding of contracts for public works in Bogota.
As well as being embroiled in the Nule corruption scandal, Tomas has previously been accused of bribing members of Congress to ensure his father’s re-election.