A court from the city of Cali, in Colombia’s southwestern state of Valle del Cauca, on Friday accused ex-finance minister Antonio Urdinola of procedural fraud and presenting false documents in court.
According to a statement released by the Prosecutor General’s Office, the accusations originate from supposed irregularities in a civil suit in which the ex-minister allegedly presented false documents in order to maintain ownership of a 50-hectare piece of land used for sugar cane production in the municipalities of Palmira and Pradera in Valle del Cauca, during a dispute with his ex-wife.
“It started as a family dispute but became a bigger problem between a group of people interested in the lands,” said Urdinola about the origins of the case.
The Prosecutor General ordered the opening of Urdinola’s bank accounts to find evidence of the fraud.
Urdinola has been under house arrest since August for alleged crimes relating to the case.
The court is also investigating a former judge in relation to the charges over the falsified documents.