Colombia’s Congress reopened an investigation into alleged bribery by President Alvaro Uribe to win support for his first re-election bid.
A commission, led by three investigators, has called various witnesses to testify in the case, including ex-congressmen Teodolindo Avendano and Ivan Diaz Mateus, who are alleged to have sold their votes in favor of allowing the 2006 re-election to proceed.
Following the two ex-congressmen on the stand will be ex-Prosecutor General Mario Iguaran and ex-presidential secretary Bernardo Moreno.
The bribery allegations are widely known as “Yidis politics,” after ex-congresswoman Yidis Medina, who was convicted by the Supreme Court for accepting favors in exchange for a vote in support of the re-election.
Medina is currently serving a house arrest sentence.
Uribe and several (former) members of his administration are also being investigated by the Prosecutor General’s Office for bribery.
