Following the controversial expulsion of the PDVSA state from Venezuela in a luxury jet, Former Senator Aida Merlano has her first appointment with Colombian justice on March 21.
(We invite you to read: Is Aida Merlano in a relationship with her sister nicknamed ‘Otoniel’?)
That day, according to his lawyer, The prosecution will hear his version against several politicians from Sahil. And seven days later, the Supreme Court called for a free version as part of a new investigation against him for voter corruption..
same Tuesday, The high court will testify in the process opened against former senator Arturo Char due to the accusations against him by Merlano..
(About the case: Aida Merlano’s strategy after her landing in Bogotá with the Venezuelan charter)
The source of these files and the already heavy 11-year prison sentence for Merlano are the same: The existence of a so-called corrupt network working on the Caribbean coast to buy votes and obtain positions and seats in various companiesincluding the Republican Congress.
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In the statements made by the former senator after his arrival in the country, He stated that he will face justice in the cases that have been processed against him. But there is also what comes from his statements against powerful election barons.
His lawyer, criminal lawyer Miguel Ángel del Río, stressed that Aida Merlano was not acquitted:What we want is to close the circle. Convicted of conspiracy to commit a crime, where are the others? This includes Arturo Char and Julio Gerlein”.
TIME determined that Among the confidential support inquiries to candidates is an audio recording that will be requested to be verified for inclusion in the investigations..
(Also: surprises found in UNP leak)
It’s about a conversation that lasted over an hour that the former senator had with a former corporate candidate while he was in custody in Venezuela.
This newspaper had exclusive access to the speech, which was already in the hands of an investigative body, demanding that the voice be identified as Merlano’s. if money is not reported to elected candidates and losers, and there are other facts that deserve to be investigated.
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among others, Refers to who Laureano Acuña would become, known as the Flying Cat; Senator Jose David Name; Current mayors of the Atlantic and even members of the ‘Gulf clan’.
According to a previous analysis of the audio recording, the essence of the conversation is the collection of debts from a powerful politician they call ‘José’.
“I sent a friend, out of courtesy. When my friend goes to charge him, he says ‘we will pay’. And he’s playing the scumbag. He knows how much he owes me. He said to me, ‘Baby, I’m not a collector. I won’t charge HP any more’”, you can hear who Merlano said.
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The interlocutor assures that he acts as a mediator. And when he realizes that he is not a ‘sugar expert’, he starts asking for the amount.
“I gave some money to José and he said he would give it back at the last moment (…). I made a deal with him before the elections, he said he would pay me his debt(…). And he gave me 300 million (…). I put everything I had on that side on the current aspirant (…). I don’t have much patience I get paid once, twice but not three times and I told him and he knows it. If he says no, that’s it. I mean, we go the same way I get paid,” the woman can be heard saying..
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And he adds: “There are people out there who were with me. They made me pods, they fagots, they took a bit of money from me and now they’re roaming. Because I get money and I don’t want any money later, but I get my money. “Those who do not want to pay even though they cannot pay, will not pay when they want,” he said.
The conversation also talks about a meeting between Adriana, the woman who was supposed to collect the debt.and businessman Julio Gerlein.
It was already known at the time that Merlano would be a witness in the case that Gerlein was pursuing—on charges of conspiracy to commit crimes, voter corruption, and border violations—as he did last January.
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The man speaking in the chat asks if there is any support, such as “degree or proof” for the money owed.
And the answer was: “Adriana also owes me money and I will pay it off from her, no (…). But what am I saying, because I’m busy (…). But after the 13th, I will blame all those people, including Juan José, for the actions they took at that moment, for which I am looking for a start. And I got what I got and what I didn’t get, good luck to them. Because I am so right but people want to be more honest and lively, let’s see if they are honest and alive.
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According to one analyst, Speaking of the 13th, these are the March 13, 2022 parliamentary elections. This means that Merlano will interfere with them even while in Venezuela.
In addition to analyzing whether the speech has been edited, It is also requested to investigate what happened in a number of municipalities where ‘José’ (the debtor) was claimed to receive votes and which was not fulfilled.
“But if I am the one who did it, which municipality are you talking about that was not built? You don’t see that I own almost all of Galapa, the Olympic Village, the councillors I have, the other mayoral candidates. Do you think he was the only mayoral candidate I funded?” says the woman..
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AND It is said that only one of the debts will exceed 1,500 million pesos: “I got calls from one and the other there. About Muñetón’s son and they say: ‘Do not scrub, doctor, how will he harm us?’ And me, aha, mijito, you came alive and the other one didn’t steal 1,500 million from me? (…). Moreover, they have the luxury of lending me money, because everyone knows that if I open my mouth a little, everyone will be spoiled (…). There will be no legal guardianship after 13 March. If not, I will accept the complaint. And wait for which prosecutor’s office he kicked me out for poking a finger.”
In the chat, one of the interviews Merlano gave from his place of detention in Venezuela comes to light: an interview with the magazine Week. In that part, it is sure to talk about some people superficially:What someone says in tone is one thing and making a request is another. Like the case of José Name.. It’s one thing to tell him, another thing to report him. What I do know is that I have a period with him until October.
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Former conservative senator Laureano Acuña, ‘Flying Cat’ is also mentioned., investigated by the court: “No, this man is completely dark, ugly. I’ll tell you, and the good thing is that his court date is on March 20 and it’s ugly. It gave me something because I mentioned it in the magazine. So I didn’t talk about it, how can I explain it. I didn’t even say its name, I said it might be an animal and suddenly it started flying. And when they called me to court, when they asked, I said no, no. I’m going to ask for a principle and talk about it in isolated cases other than that. Because that’s not really my purpose,” he said.
After more than an hour of conversation, There is mention of Char, whom Merlano accuses as a criminal.
“They’re in the Country, in Guacherna. They will have to disappear, close the Olympics, close all the chain stores. Or do you think I don’t have the money to bomb all those HP tanks if I want to? Who loses more in a battle between me and them right now? (…). And I didn’t have to send them to be killed, I didn’t have to plant bombs at the Olympics. I didn’t have to put bombs in it in the country so you can see there are different ways to hit it.
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EL TIEMPO contacted criminal lawyer Miguel Ángel del Río, Merlano’s representative, asking about the sound and its consequences.
“All retaliation against Aida Merlano will come because of Sahil’s need to tell the truth about his entire political class. Let the prosecution meticulously investigate whether he owns the voice and content of the speech. “The political class will do whatever it takes to discredit him,” Del Río said.
(Check all articles from EL TIEMPO’s Investigation Unit here)
And I add: “As of the previous week, Aida’s statements in the prosecution and the court begin. We have rigor in the Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday and in the Court on the 28th.. The prosecution’s meticulousness is within the scope of the investigation against Alejandro Char, in which Julio Gerlein was involved in the same process.
The Chars, for their part, have already reported that they are ready to prove in court that Merlano lied.
“We spent two or three years with this story roll of this lady, of her lies. “This is an argument our political enemies are using against our own campaigns, Alex’s (Char) mayoral campaign, and different departments of the country.”
(We invite you to read: The version of the driver who was caught with $100,000 in a cooler from a luxury car)
In fact, he described Merlano as a political tool: “My son Arturo has a process for some of his statements. We don’t have any evidence that could interest us forensically, but we will deal with it and be careful what it brings, which I think is a political instrument will continue to haunt us.”.
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Source: Exame
