Ex-senator sues Colombian government for lost wages

Former Colombian senator Ivan Moreno Rojas filed a lawsuit against the state for wages he did not receive after he was suspended from office and charged with extortion and bribery, .

In a formal application, the senator requested he be reimbursed nearly $420 thousand for lost wages and damages.

Moreno also petitioned the court to annul the January ruling which disqualified him from holding public office for 20 years.

A settlement hearing will take place in the coming days to determine the outcome of Moreno’s proposal.

Moreno was charged with extortion, influence-peddling and fraudulent contracting in connection with the Bogota public works scandal in which he and his brother, former Bogota Mayor Samuel Moreno Rojas, allegedly gave contracts to the Nule Group construction company in return for a 6% kickback.

Prosecutors estimate the two brothers made profits in excess of $5.5 million.

The three former directors of the Nule Group have already been sentenced to seven years imprisonment each for their involvement in the scandal.

The trials of the Moreno brothers are ongoing, due in part to the 250 hours of audio recordings and 30,000 pages of documents submitted as evidence in the case.

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