Colombia: former congressman will go to prison for 11 years for ‘mocha salary’

The Supreme Court of Justice of Colombia sentenced former congresswoman Argenis Velásquez to almost 11 years in prison for demanding that one of her advisors hand over the half of your salarythe high court reported this Friday.

The decision was made by the Special First Instance Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice that “sentenced the former House representative to 128 months in prison Argenis Velasquez Ramirez as responsible for the crime of continued concussion“, the Court reported in a statement.

Velasquez He held a seat in the House of Representatives between 2014 and 2018. They were representatives of the Putumayo department.

The events date back to an anonymous writing in which it was realized that Velasquez there was “forced the officials of the Legislative Work Unit (UTL) assigned to her office, so that month after month they would give her husband half of the salary earned by them, abusing their position and political power”.

The UTL is a team of professionals who advise congressmen on different topics. Their salaries are paid by the State and not by the senator or representative.

According to the Court’s ruling, Mercedes Rojas, who worked at the UTL of Velasquezindicated in his statement that Edwin Chávez Jojoa, husband of the accused, in “In accordance with her instructions, in the month of February 2016, she asked her to deliver part of her salary monthly, once she was linked to said UTL.”.

In total, the employee gave the congresswoman about US$6,000 between March 2016 and February 2017 until Rojas told the congresswoman’s husband that she would not continue contributing the required percentage of money, “being declared insubsistent”.

It was clear to the Court that Velasquez “Thus he forgot that the members of Congress represent the people and must act in consultation with justice and the common good, in accordance with the mandate enshrined in article 133 of the Political Constitution, in exchange he directed his will for his personal purposes by demanding monetary sums from one of his dependents”.

The Special Trial Chamber also imposed 104 months of inability to exercise public rights and functions on the former congresswoman and also denied her the benefit of house arrest.