Colombia’s prosecutor general will ask the court to put former Agriculture Minister Andres Felipe Arias in jail while on trial for corruption charges, several media reported Monday.
According to the reports, Prosecutor General Vivane Morales has asked for a trial date at a Bogota court during which she will charge Arias and request his arrest.
The minister is implicated in an agricultural subsidy scandal that was not granted to poor famers as intended, but ended up in the pockets of wealthy and politically powerful families.
Arias at the time was politically reponsible over the program and has been accused of using the money to gather political support.
In February, the Prosecutor General’s Office already seized all assets of Arias, who was one of the closest allies of former President Alvaro Uribe when both were still in office. Uribe last month insisted his former minister is innocent.