His parents and his brother Juan celebrated Andres’ arrival in the country with great emotion. “A heroic rescue with thousands of protagonists in a beautiful act of love and solidarity,” they published.
Colombia News.
What Andrés Felipe Ballesteros has gone through after 8 years of being imprisoned after a vacation trip in Tanzania, Africa, to celebrate his birthday was really a horror movie.
At the time, the dream he had was to discover the nature and culture of that country, but he ended up being held “by simple suspicion” by authorities of that country.
Returns to Colombia
This Thursday, October 20, his relatives confirmed that he had taken the plane that would bring him to Colombia by publishing the following message.
«News flash: Andrés Felipe Ballesteros manages to catch the KLM flight from Dar Es-Salam to Amsterdam tonight (Tanzania time). In this order of ideas, he arrives tomorrow, Friday, October 21, at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá at 2:00 pm »
Today, Friday, after more than 24 hours of travel, the confirmation of the good news arrived, the flight that brought Andrés Ballesteros arrived in Bogotá and his relatives did not let their happiness hide:
- “Here we go: mom, dad and brother. Heading to the airport. Andrés arrives in an hour and a fraction.
- “Our beloved Andrés is coming down from the sky and will land in 5 minutes. A heroic rescue with thousands of protagonists in a beautiful act of love and solidarity. Life is changing in Colombia. What will mom and dad feel?
landed!
– Psychotherapist Juan Ballesteros (@PsicoterapiaB) October 21, 2022
“We did it!”
We did it ! pic.twitter.com/UUuC190Fi2
– Psychotherapist Juan Ballesteros (@PsicoterapiaB) October 21, 2022
From the Presidency they also documented the arrival of Andrés:
Since August 7, 2022, the legal process of Andrés Felipe Ballesteros changed and now, thanks to the #GovernmentOfChangeyou can be with your family and loved ones again.
– Colombia Presidency ?? (@infopresidencia) October 21, 2022
This was the welcome and hug of Andrés with his relatives.
Help from heaven
The legal situation of Andrés Felipe has changed since last August when the national government became aware of the case. And, under the leadership of the legal secretary, Vladimir Fernández, he drew up a work schedule.
In it, he called meetings and established specific goals with the Ministries of Justice of foreign affairs, with the Embassy of Colombia in Kenya and with Juan Carlos Ballesteros, reaching an agreement between both countries for the repatriation of Andrés Felipe.
Said agreement corresponded to a fine of 120 million pesos, which his family would have to pay, in order to free his loved one.
Thanks to the collection through social networks, organized by Andrés Giraldo and contributions in general, the estimated amount was achieved.
life changed him
The life of Ballesteros, 36 years old, has changed completely since August 2014, when for his 28th birthday, he traveled to Tanzania, Africa.
The man from Cali was arrested “on suspicion” in the Tanzanian capital, and where he ended up spending eight years in prison.
At that moment, Andrés Ballesteros was taken to a police station. Not knowing the official Swahili language, he did not know what was happening and why they were accusing him.
After two days, he was confined in the Keko prison, a prison that, according to his brother Juan Carlos, is in subhuman conditions for the thousands of inmates who are deprived of their liberty.
They had to spend 5 years, to have a firm accusation, which occurred in 2019. But not for a specific charge either.
“I wanted to go to Africa. I wanted to get to know the paradisiacal islands of Tanzania, Zanzibar, and Mafia in the Indigo Ocean”, Ballesteros has always explained.
At the airport “for being Colombian,” they retaliated against him and accused him “for entering illegal goods for that country,” assured Juan Carlos Ballesteros, brother of Andrés.
The man from Cali who was imprisoned in Tanzania, does not have a conviction there, they never gave him clarity about what he was really accused of.
Regarding the “illegal envelopes” that he supposedly entered, there is also no clarity.
Now they have finally given him freedom after the millionaire payment and he is back with his family.
