US arrests Colombia’s fugitive former agriculture minister

US arrests Colombia’s fugitive former agriculture minister

written by Adriaan Alsema August 24, 2016



The United States arrested Colombia’s fugitive former agriculture minister who in his home country is facing a 17-year sentence for the embezzlement of millions of dollars in tax money.

The arrest was announced on Wednesday by former President Alvaro Uribe, who has seen an increasingly large number of allies disappear behind bars because of their involvement in corruption scandals or ties to far-right paramilitary groups.

. . .

Former Agriculture Minister Andres Felipe Arias, a.k.a. “Little Uribe,” was sentenced to 17 years in prison in 2014 after the Supreme Court found him guilty of embezzling more than $20 million in public funds meant for poor farmers.

Instead, the money was funneled to wealthy families and political allies under the watch of Arias and ultimately Uribe, who was president at the time of the embezzlement.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/us-arrests-colombias-fugitive-former-agriculture-minister/

LBN:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141558081