Minhacienda, badly off in case of corruption in the UNGRD after testimony of former advisor

Recently, the testimonies of María Alejandra Benavides, former advisor to the Minister of Finance, Ricardo Bonillawhich would leave the portfolio manager in a bad light in the investigation into the corruption network in the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).

In the middle of his statements, Benavides assured that the Minister of Finance was aware of everything that was happening in this network of corruption: “He used me, he used the fact that he was the Minister of Finance, that he didn’t care about the cost he had to pay. They needed that in there“, he assured, in statements to ‘Noticias Caracol’.

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Likewise, Benavides stated that the Minhacienda had allegedly given the directive to direct three contracts for 92,000 million pesos in the municipalities of Cotorra, Córdoba, Saravena, Arauca and Carmen de Bolívarafter being questioned about it by the prosecutor in the case.

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“I sent some contacts, Mr. Sneyder then told me: the last week of December he hasn’t moved. That they had already spoken with them but that now, that is… Prosecutor, I insist: absolutely everything needed authorization. Everything needed him to know. He knew that I had obtained those contacts from what the congressmen who had the indicative quotas had given me. I can’t tell lies to you. I don’t know. I couldn’t question it. But here I am sure that the minister knew that those contacts were for them and that in exchange they were going to give him those credits“said Benavides.

Similarly, Bonilla’s former advisor splashed the then Minister of the Interior, Luis Fernando Velasco, as well as the advisor to the Presidency of the Republic, Jaime Ramírez Cobowho were allegedly aware of the bribes to congressmen that began in December of last year.

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Ricardo Bonilla, Minhacienda.

BLOOMBERG

“What I know is that Minister Bonilla did nothing without Minister Velasco knowing or Jaime knowing. For Minister Bonilla it was essential that someone else knew what was happening. That’s why Velasco spent his time in the Ministry of Finance, that’s why he told me, talk to Jaime, have lunch with Jaime. Minister Bonilla was anxious that somehow he was not doing it alone“Bonilla’s former advisor pointed out to the prosecutor.

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