The lawyer defending Alvaro Uribe in a scandal involving the bribery of congressmen to assure the former president’s 2006 reelection on Tuesday challenged the congressman in charge of the investigation.
Defense lawyer Jaime Lombana claimed Representative Yair Acuña had committed violations of due process insofar as he had called Uribe in for questioning without having first initiated an investigation.
Acuña is the investigating lawmaker into what has become known as “Yidispolitica,” a political scandal regarding allegations that Uribe bribed congressmen Yidis Medina in 2004 to vote in favor of a constitutional amendment allowing the former head of state to run for a second term in 2006.
Colombia’s Supreme Court has already convicted Medina for accepting favors in exchange for a vote in support of re-election.
Acuña was appointed in October to decide whether or not to formally press charges against Uribe.
Uribe is called to appear before the Accusations Committee of the House to give testimony on Wednesday.