Armando Benedetti asked to suspend his case for illicit enrichment

According to a report by the Directorate of National Taxes and Customs, DIAN, Congressman Armando Benedetti must justify about 3 billion pesos that “did not come from his economic activity, from 2002 to 2018; therefore he is being pointed out for alleged increase in his assets without justification and illicit enrichment.

The Supreme Court of Justice summoned Benedetti to the office of investigating magistrate Cristina Lombana, but, the proceedings were postponed because the senator's lawyer asked that documents proving his innocence be reviewed. According to the defense and the congressman, since December 10, 2021, the magistrate has been asked for several pieces of evidence that, supposedly, have not been presented. In addition, he denounced that Lombana has remained silent on such requests and would be violating the guarantees of his defense.

The documents that Benedetti claims to have submitted are certificates on the bank traceability of his accounts, loans and management checks that, according to him, support his income. He assured, that the judicial report in the hands of Judge Lombana would have great errors, because apparently he does not have the senator's income that has not been due to his salary since 2004, such as layoffs, reinstatement of votes, bank and other loans, leases and money from the Congressional Employees Fund. In fact, a few days ago, the civil division of the Supreme Court of Justice denied him a guardianship that claimed that Judge Lombana was violating his rights to due process and defense.

According to the Supreme Court, the denial of such guardianship is considered inadmissible, and the process has not yet been completed.

For this reason, Armando Benedetti spoke on his Twitter account, noting that he expects the Court to protect his rights:

A few days ago, the senator was in an interview with Semana where he said: “what the magistrate is trying to prove, or in a report it says that I have to prove where 3 billion pesos came from, but, beware, it's three billion pesos in 18 years. Many media speak as if they had recorded that and that I have to prove where it is from”.

The congressman had already filed an investigation for the crime of illicit enrichment on March 28 of last year; but, the Supreme Court called him again for the extension of the investigation, but, for the crime of money laundering. The stage was to be brought forward on March 30, but it was rescheduled for April 6. But again, the hearing will have to be rescheduled because of the challenge presented by the defence to Judge Cristina Lombana.

notes the document submitted to the Court.

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