Colombian corruption watchdog charged in Miami for money laundering

Tue Jun 27, 2017 | 4:07pm EDT


Colombia's top anti-corruption official was arrested in Bogota on Tuesday after being charged in a federal court in Miami with conspiracy to launder money with the intent to promote foreign bribery, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement.

Luis Gustavo Moreno Rivera, 35, Colombia's national director of anti-corruption, and Leonardo Luis Pinilla Gomez, 31, an attorney practicing in Colombia, were charged on Friday in the Southern District of Florida, the statement said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-colombia-corruption-idUSKBN19I2QX?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FworldNews+%28Reuters+World+News%29&&rpc=401

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https://www.democraticunderground.com/10141808884

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Colombia’s top anti-corruption official arrested in Bogota on money laundering charges filed in Miami
POSTED ON JUNE 27, 2017 BY FORT LAUDERDALE


The top Colombian government official in charge of fighting corruption was arrested Tuesday in Bogota on money laundering charges filed in Miami federal court — including allegations that he flew here to collect bribes in a shakedown of a Colombian politician who was secretly helping U.S. authorities.

Luis Gustavo Moreno Rivera, 35, the national director of anti-corruption in Colombia, and Leonardo Luis Pinilla Gomez, 31, an attorney practicing in Colombia, were charged with one count of conspiring to launder money to promote foreign bribery. The criminal complaint charging the Colombians was filed under seal on Friday.

Both Moreno and Pinilla were arrested in Colombia on a provisional arrest warrant, or Interpol Red Notice. Both now face extradition to Miami, a judicial process that normally takes months.

. . .

According to sources familiar with the DEA investigation, the federal source who assisted U.S. authorities was Alejandro Lyons Muskus, a former Colombian provincial governor, who faces 20 counts of corruption-related charges in his homeland. Colombian prosecutors have accused Lyons of orchestrating an embezzlement scheme involving royalties — payments made for the right to extract natural resources.

Lyons is the latest of a string of South American politicians who are accused of plundering their governments’ coffers and then flee to South Florida for refuge. Since last year, the DEA has been using Lyons as a federal source, though he is not identified in the criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday in Miami federal court.

More:
https://1fortlauderdale.com/colombias-top-anti-corruption-official-arrested-in-bogota-on-money-laundering-charges-filed-in-miami/


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https://www.democraticunderground.com/10141808884




Alejandro Lyons Muskus