The trial of former Bogota mayor Samuel Moreno will start on January 24, with current mayor Gustavo Petro as a key witness.
Colombia’s Prosecutor General announced details of proceedings against Moreno Friday, reported La Semana magazine.
The disgraced former mayor is accused of extortion, bribery and embezzlement in relation to public works contracts awarded in Bogota. He and his brother, former senator Ivan Moreno, are alleged to have made personal profits of more than $5 million through a “contract carousel” — a term used to describe rotating short-term contracts around multiple companies, extorting bribes as each deal is signed.
Moreno, who took office in 2008, was suspended from his post in May last year, and formally charged in December.
Other witnesses in the case will include former Polo Democratico member Carlos Vicente de la Roux, who initially accused Moreno of corruption in 2010, and Inocencio Meledez, the former deputy legal director of Bogota’s Urban Development Institute who also faces extortion charges.
Melendez was offered a deal by prosecutors, who are suspending legal action against him for a year in return for testimony incriminating his former boss.
