A Colombian judge has denied former Bogota mayor Samuel Moreno’s freedom request while standing trial for bribery, extortion and embezzlement, reported news agency Semana Thursday.
The judge rejected the request, ruling that the time limit on holding the defendant in custody during the investigation had not passed.
Moreno’s lawyer Jorge Arenas argued that denying his client his freedom was a “violation of due process,” claiming the stipulated investigation time limit had passed.
The former mayor’s pre-trial hearing is due to take place May 22. The date was set by the defense to give them sufficient time to study the 200,000 pages of evidence related to the trial.
Moreno is to sue the Colombian state for damages after being removed from office and banned from public service for one year, according to media Wednesday.
Moreno is reportedly asking the government for $101,340 in compensation.
Moreno was removed from office for gross misconduct following his alleged involvement in a public works scandal in which contracts were illegally handed to construction conglomerate Nule Group in return for a 6% cut. Members of the Nule group are currently serving time in prison.
Moreno was subsequently charged December last year for receiving illegal proceeds from public works contracts, having been remanded in custody the previous September.
The prosecutor at the time Ricardo Gonzalez told the court that Moreno and his brother, former senator Ivan Moreno, accepted $7.8 million in illegal commissions.
