A former congresswoman has been paid more than $250,000 in compensation for the salary and benefits she did not receive during the seven years she was held captive by the FARC, Colombian media reported on Thursday.
A Bogota court order ruled in favor of Consuelo Gonzalez de Perdomo after several lawsuits against the government had been issued by her daughter since she was taken hostage. The suits claimed that Perdomo had not received the full amount of wages and benefits to which she was entitled.
The government has insisted that appropriate documentation proving that the congresswoman had been held by the FARC was not submitted, prohibiting Perdomo from receiving the amount demanded.
However, in the court ruling, it was acknowledged that this argument lacked legitimacy as the government itself was responsible for issuing the authenticating documents to the family, Santa Fe Radio reported
Perdomo’s lawyer will receive a little over $23,000 of the compensation.
Consuelo Gonzalez de Perdomo was kidnapped by guerrillas on September 10, 2001 and released in January 10, 2008.
