Óscar Ivan Zuluaga Charged with Fraud in Campaign Finance Fallout from Odebrecht Scandal

Óscar Iván Zuluaga, a former public official in Colombia who ran for president in 2014, and his son have been indicted on charges related to the Odebrecht scandal that first rocked Latin America in 2016, with Zuluaga being accused of illicitly financing his presidential campaign.

According to the office of Colombia’s attorney general, Zuluaga received $1.6 million from the company during his 2014 campaign, purportedly to cover the hiring of Brazilian publicist José Eduardo Cavalcanti de Mendoça, and did not report the money that was given to him.

This allegation would represent a violation of article 109 of the Political Constitution of Colombia, which “prohibits political parties, movements and significant groups of citizens from receiving financing from foreign natural or legal persons for electoral campaigns,” according to the attorney general’s office.

Zuluage now faces charges of forgery in a private document, procedural fraud, and illicit enrichment of a private individual, while his David Zuluaga Martínez is charged with procedural fraud.

The attorney general’s office is also pursuing charges against Cecilia Elvira Álvarez Correa-Glen, a former transportation minister, for accepting funds illicitly in regards to the highway project Ruta del Sol II and allegedly favoring an Odebrecht bid. 

Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez decried the news on Twitter, saying that “The Odebrecht money had people that channeled it, but with whom did it originate? Who distributeded it, and who received it? And (former President) Santos the great beneficiary and originator continues in impunity.”

Los dineros de Odebrecht tuvieron unas personas que los canalizaron;

Pero ¿Con quién se originaron, quién los repartió y a quiénes llegaron?

Y Santos el gran beneficiario y originador sigue en impunidad

— Álvaro Uribe Vélez (@AlvaroUribeVel) June 18, 2023

The influential ex-president backed Zuluaga’s unsuccessful candidacy in 2014 against incumbent President Juan Manuel Santos, who served as defense minister under Uribe and was viewed as a protege when first elected in 2010 before his ex-mentor turned against him and backed a further-right-wing opponent during his re-election campaign.

Odebrecht, which changed its name to Novonor after the region-wide scandal devastated its reputation, has been deeply involved in multiple corruption and bribery scandals spanning Latin America for decades in order to receive preferential treatment in different government construction projects.

The company, which was found to have paid up to $30 million in bribes to government officials in various countries, has been fined billions of dollars worldwide since a US Department of Justice investigation shed light on its widespread violations.