Colombia’s Supreme Court opened a preliminary investigation into the alleged mafia ties of Senate president Jose Name and his clan, according to local media.
Name and his cousin, former Senate president Jose David Name, allegedly paid mafia bosses from Barranquilla to buy votes in the Caribbean city ahead of elections.
The accusations were made by two alleged bosses of organized crime group “Los Rastrojos Costeños,” Juan Manuel Borre, a.k.a. “Piston,” and his brother Brayan, a.k.a. “Tio Guillo.”
Piston told prosecutors in 2014 that “we campaigned for them. I am talking about Jose David Name and Ivan Name, his cousin.”
With Ivan, we campaigned in the neighborhoods of La Pradera, Los Olivos, Soledad, La Central. We got people to vote for him. He gave us the money. I told him at that time that, with the money he was going to give to buy votes, he should support our structure, and we would put the people to vote for him.
Piston
These allegations were allegedly confirmed by Tio Guillo.
According to Piston, the ties between Los Rastrojos Costeños and the Name clan date back to 2009.
The Name clan has been involved in Caribbean politics since the late 1950’s.
The Borre brothers founded the Rastrojos Costeños after the demobilization of their former paramilitary group, the AUC.
The senate president did not immediately respond to the criminal investigation.
