By Paula Villa
On Monday, Feb. 24, it was confirmed by the Commission of Accusation of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia,
that the opening of an investigation against the president of Colombia, Ivan Duque, for the purchase of votes in the last elections of 2018 would take place.
The inquiry was filed by David Racero, a representative of the House, for the
statements given by Aida Merlano.
John Jairo Cardenas, who is a part of the Partido de la Unidad, told a Colombian radio station, “In my capacity as the president of the investigations committee, after reading the complaint by Representative David Racero against the president of the republic, we have taken the decision to open an investigation”.
The decision comes after the accusations by Aida Merlano, a former senator, who was captured in Venezuela after escaping custody by escaping by pulling herself down a rope from a second floor office in Bogota.
Pulzo on YouTube
In the statements given by the former senator, she also said that President Ivan Duque also intended to assassinate her in order to protect the traditional political class. On the other hand, the president of Colombia responded to Merlano's accusations saying that those are "fabricated" by Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.
This adds to the difficult diplomatic situation between Colombia and Venezuela, since Colombia does not recognize Nicolas Maduro as president.
In addition to accusing the president of the Republic of Colombia, Merlano also denounced two political families with a lot of influence in the country: the Char and the Gerlein families. According to the former senator, she has evidence that would show how these two families often gave money for campaigns in exchange for favors or contracts. Merlano also assured that businessman Julio Gerlein and Senator Arturo Char were the ones who helped her and recommended to escape.