Former Mayor of Bogota Samuel Moreno received over $15 million from the Nule Construction Company in exchange for favorable treatment in the public contracting process, according to testimony introduced Monday in the trial prosecuting corruption in the Colombian capital.
The latest revelation in the “Merry Go Round” contracting scandal that has engulfed Moreno since 2011 came from the Miguel Nule, owner of the Nule Construction company, who claimed to have given Moreno $15,650,000 in exchange for public contracts during formal testimony Monday night.
Moreno became mayor of Bogota in 2008 but was forced to step down in May of 2011 due to accusations leveled against him by the Inspector General. After a four-month investigation, during which he was suspended from office, Moreno was arrested and put in jail to await trial.
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Deemed a “danger to society” by the presiding judge, Moreno was denied bail and spent two years in prison awaiting the start of his trial.
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The laundry list of charges now facing the ex-mayor includes conspiracy to commit a crime, corruption, bribery, embezzlement by appropriation, extortion, and undue interest in the conclusion of contracts.
Nule’s testimony also made reference to Moreno’s brother Ivan Moreno Rojas, an ex-senator also implicated in the scandal.
If found guilty, ex-Mayor Moreno could face up to 21 years in prison.