Colombia’s prosecutor general issued an indictment against former Interior Minister Sabas Pretelt for allegedly offering bribes to government officials to win support for the 2006 re-election of President Alvaro Uribe, reports El Espectador.
Pretelt, who is currently serving as the Colombian ambassador to Italy, Greece, and Malta, as well as permanent representative to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, is charged with bribery in the “Yidispolitica” scandal, as he allegedly offered gifts to various government officials to help win support for the second term of Alvaro Uribe.
Ambassador Pretelt, who served as Interior Minister from 2003 – 2006, has always maintained his innocence in the case, denying placing any undue pressure on the vote.
The term “Yidispolitica” refers to former Congresswoman Yidis Medina who was sentenced in 2009 for having received bribes to support Uribe’s bid for a second term in power.
Congressmen, Teodolindo Avendaño and Ivan Diaz Mateus were also sentenced for receiving bribes to approve the constitutional change needed to allow Uribe to stand again for the 2006 presidency.
In April, Colombia’s prosecutor general ordered a preliminary investigation into Inspector General Alejandro Ordoñez’s involvement in the scandal.