A former Colombian lawmaker was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison Friday for accepting more than $275 thousand in bribes.
Liberal Party politician and former Representative to the House German Olano was convicted on corruption charges after pleading guilty of using his political influence to secure a public works contract in the Colombian capital of Bogota to a constrction company whose directors have also been sentenced to prison.
The corruption scandal, involving the fraudulently granting the construction of roads for the city’s mass transit system Transmilenio, forced the suspension and jailing of former Bogota mayor Samuel Moreno and his brother, former Senator Ivan Moreno.
The charged politicians, like Olano, are suspected of having received kick backs from construction company Nule for the awarding of the multi-million contract and additional government funds when the company failed to complete the works in time or within the planned budget.
The corruption has been blamed for the increase in problems with traffic congestion in Bogota.