Yidispolitics Scandal
Encyclopedia
Yidispolitics is the name given to the continuing public scandal in Colombia
, since April 2008, when the ex-politician Yidis Medina admitted to receiving of bribes to vote in favor of the re-election project, which changed the constitution, on allowed Álvaro Uribe Vélez to become president for a second term.
The politicians implicated in Yidispolitics have rejected the accusations. Even the former president of Colombia, Álvaro Uribe Vélez, has been accused of bribery. Velez argued against these accusations saying: "The national government persuades; but does not push or bribe consciences" .
On June 25 of 2008, after several days of investigation, the Supreme Court of Colombia
found Yidis Medin guilty of bribery and sentenced her to 47 months of house arrest. Included in the same case, the Court claimed that it will send the information to different Judicial bodies that eventually, would have to punish the public servers involved in the scandal. It also asked the Constitutional Court of Colombia
to review the constitutional reform that allowed Álvaro Uribe Vélez to stand for his second consecutive presidential election. This case caused Álvaro Uribe Vélez to strongly react against the Supreme Court, and he suggested links between the magistrates of the Court and groups of extreme left-wing and right-wing tendency. He also suggested the passing of a constitutional referendum to legitimate his presidential re-election. The day after Álvaro Uribe Vélez's speech, those involved sued the judges of the Supreme Court.
The politicians involved in this case are currently being investigated. Among them are: Diego Palacio Betancourt Social Welfare Minister, and Sabas Pretelt De La Vega
Colombian ambassador in Italy, who was the Interior and Justice Minister during the passing of the re-election project, that eventually changed the constitution. (ver:señalados por Medina)
Álvaro Uribe Vélez was re-elected as Colombian President for the period of 2006 - 2010, after pushing towards a reform of the Constitution to allow his consecutive re-election. The approbation of the reform was a controversial decision, due to the last minute change of mind of the representatives Yidis Medina and Teodolindo Avendaño; Medina voted in favor of the reform after assuring she was against it, and Avendaño was absent during the approbation. There was a lot of speculation about the controversial reform, until April 2008 when Yidis Medina declared herself guilty of bribe, when she assured to a Colombian magazine El Espectador that the government did not fulfill the deal, and that she was about to write a book with all the information about the case with the help of Teodolindo Avendaño.
broadcasted a video where ex Congresswoman Yidis Medina admits before Daniel Coronell
, the TV news director, to have accepted bribes from President Álvaro Uribe himself and from some of his closest collaborators, including Sabas Pretelt (back then, the Interior & Justice Minister) to change her vote in the First Commission of the Representatives' Chamber in the law project applied by the Government to allow the immediate presidential re-election that would give Uribe a chance to aspire to a second term of office. This video was recorded on August 2004 but the journalist and the then congress woman agreed that it wouldn't be exposed until something unexpected happened to her (she stated to had been death threatened). Medina said that the video could also be exposed in case she didn't receive what was agreed with the Government.
Weeks before the video's broadcasting, Medina had revealed its existence in an interview with El Espectador newspaper. Because of this, Coronell stated that Medina had broken the deal and so he told her. She admitted so and the journalist announced its publication.
Both President Uribe and his staff members denied Medina's accusations. Uribe said that he had a meeting with her but never had offered her or any other member of the parliament anything
for his/her vote. In addition, he accused Medina of having been blackmailing his son Tomás Uribe and other high government employees by phone calls, using a list from cell-phone company Comcel
as a proof, with several in-coming phone calls from Medina's number to Tomás Uribe's cell-phone. Though Medina declared it wasn't her phone number, some days later it was proved wrong in an official statement by Medina's attorney. Uribe said Medina was behaving as a criminal and declared: "Her vote helped, but she shows up now as a failed, unsatisfied lady because she couldn't pull out her extortion". Besides, he referred to his collaborators Pretelt and Palacio Betancourt as honest people with impeccable behaviour, and accused journalist Daniel Coronell of having covered up the false crime.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, since April 2008, when the ex-politician Yidis Medina admitted to receiving of bribes to vote in favor of the re-election project, which changed the constitution, on allowed Álvaro Uribe Vélez to become president for a second term.
The politicians implicated in Yidispolitics have rejected the accusations. Even the former president of Colombia, Álvaro Uribe Vélez, has been accused of bribery. Velez argued against these accusations saying: "The national government persuades; but does not push or bribe consciences" .
On June 25 of 2008, after several days of investigation, the Supreme Court of Colombia
Supreme Court of Colombia
The Supreme Court of Colombia in Bogotá is the highest judicial body in civil and penal matters and issues of criminal and civil procedure in Colombia...
found Yidis Medin guilty of bribery and sentenced her to 47 months of house arrest. Included in the same case, the Court claimed that it will send the information to different Judicial bodies that eventually, would have to punish the public servers involved in the scandal. It also asked the Constitutional Court of Colombia
Constitutional Court of Colombia
The Constitutional Court of Colombia is the highest entity in the judicial branch of government in the Republic of Colombia in charge of safeguarding the integrity and supremacy of the Colombian Constitution of 1991 within the Constitutional laws.However it is not the highest court of criminal...
to review the constitutional reform that allowed Álvaro Uribe Vélez to stand for his second consecutive presidential election. This case caused Álvaro Uribe Vélez to strongly react against the Supreme Court, and he suggested links between the magistrates of the Court and groups of extreme left-wing and right-wing tendency. He also suggested the passing of a constitutional referendum to legitimate his presidential re-election. The day after Álvaro Uribe Vélez's speech, those involved sued the judges of the Supreme Court.
The politicians involved in this case are currently being investigated. Among them are: Diego Palacio Betancourt Social Welfare Minister, and Sabas Pretelt De La Vega
Sabas Pretelt de la Vega
Sabas Pretelt de la Vega is a Colombian economist and businessman, who served as Colombian Minister of the Interior and Justice, and Ambassador to the Colombian missions in Italy, Greece, Cyprus, San Marino, and Malta.-Personal life:...
Colombian ambassador in Italy, who was the Interior and Justice Minister during the passing of the re-election project, that eventually changed the constitution. (ver:señalados por Medina)
Background
The scandal
On April 20th, 2008, several days after El Espectador interview, TV news show Noticias UnoNoticias Uno
Noticias Uno is a nightly Colombian newscast produced by NTC Televisión and aired weekends and holidays on state-owned privately-run Canal Uno....
broadcasted a video where ex Congresswoman Yidis Medina admits before Daniel Coronell
Daniel Coronell
Daniel Coronell is a Colombian journalist and VP of News of Univision network in the United States. He has also been editor in chief of the Colombian national newscasts Noticias Uno, NTC Noticias and Noticias RCN. He has been a TV journalist since the beginning of his career...
, the TV news director, to have accepted bribes from President Álvaro Uribe himself and from some of his closest collaborators, including Sabas Pretelt (back then, the Interior & Justice Minister) to change her vote in the First Commission of the Representatives' Chamber in the law project applied by the Government to allow the immediate presidential re-election that would give Uribe a chance to aspire to a second term of office. This video was recorded on August 2004 but the journalist and the then congress woman agreed that it wouldn't be exposed until something unexpected happened to her (she stated to had been death threatened). Medina said that the video could also be exposed in case she didn't receive what was agreed with the Government.
Weeks before the video's broadcasting, Medina had revealed its existence in an interview with El Espectador newspaper. Because of this, Coronell stated that Medina had broken the deal and so he told her. She admitted so and the journalist announced its publication.
Both President Uribe and his staff members denied Medina's accusations. Uribe said that he had a meeting with her but never had offered her or any other member of the parliament anything
for his/her vote. In addition, he accused Medina of having been blackmailing his son Tomás Uribe and other high government employees by phone calls, using a list from cell-phone company Comcel
Comcel
Comcel may refer to:*Comcel Colombia, a Colombian mobile phone operator*Comcel Haiti, a Haitian mobile phone operator that operates a TDMA network in Haiti...
as a proof, with several in-coming phone calls from Medina's number to Tomás Uribe's cell-phone. Though Medina declared it wasn't her phone number, some days later it was proved wrong in an official statement by Medina's attorney. Uribe said Medina was behaving as a criminal and declared: "Her vote helped, but she shows up now as a failed, unsatisfied lady because she couldn't pull out her extortion". Besides, he referred to his collaborators Pretelt and Palacio Betancourt as honest people with impeccable behaviour, and accused journalist Daniel Coronell of having covered up the false crime.