Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion
  • About us
  • Support us
  • Contact Us
  • Intelligence
  • Advertising
  • Newsletter
Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion
News

Subsidy scandal a ‘trap’: Arias, Uribe

by Sarah Cast July 19, 2011

The subsidy scandal which caused the barring from public office of former Agricultural Minister Andres Felipe Arias is a trap, Arias and his former boss, ex-President Alvaro Uribe, said Tuesday.

“It is unfair that honorable officials are held accountable for particular traps,” Arias told RCN radio. “No official of the ministry stole agricultural subsidies.”

In a disciplinary sanction announced in the midst of an ongoing criminal investigation, Colombia’s Inspector General’s Office banned Arias from holding public office for 16 years.

During his tenure as the Colombian Minister of Agriculture under the administration of former President Alvaro Uribe, Arias allegedly redirected government subsides meant for poor farmers into the hands of powerful families in exchange for political support.

“What I cannot accept is that the [subsidy] program was intended only for big business, because 99% of the beneficiaries were farmers,” Arias said, adding that he plans to repeal the decision.

A former presidential hopeful, many considered Arias to be the prodigy of Alvaro Uribe.

“Andres Arias: There is no fraud, no corruption, no one stole a peso,” Uribe wrote on Twitter to Arias, renouncing the sanction.

Uribe supported Arias’ entrapment claim, referring to the sanction against his former minister as a “private trap.”

agricultureAlvaro UribeAndres Felipe Ariascorruption

Trending

  • Colombia registers 12th massacre so far this year

  • Journalist resigns after pulling editorial punch at Colombia’s richest man

  • Colombia’s elderly still waiting for COVID-19 vaccines

Weekly interviews and news updates

Related articles

  • The president’s bosses | Part 3: Colombia’s mafia

  • Uribe accuses HRW chief of terrorism support amid war crime probes

  • The president’s bosses | Part 2: Colombia’s clans

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • RSS

@2008-2019 - Colombia Reports. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by Digitale Zaken and Parrolabs


Back To Top