COLOMBIA: Farm Subsidy Scandal Exposes Corrupt Policies

[Judi Lynn]

COLOMBIA: Farm Subsidy Scandal Exposes Corrupt Policies
Helda Martínez interviews Senator JORGE ROBLEDO

BOGOTA, Dec 30 (IPS) - The Attorney General's Office of Colombia is keeping a tight lid on developments in its investigation of 113 million dollars in farm subsidies handed out over the last three years to wealthy families, many of whom have no involvement in the agricultural sector whatsoever.

A total of 87 individuals have been questioned so far, including Ministry of Agriculture officials and recipients of the non-repayable, tax-free subsidies under the Agro Ingreso Seguro (AIS) programme.

Many of these beneficiaries have made sizeable campaign contributions for the re-election of right-wing President Álvaro Uribe to a third term in office – pending the necessary amendment of the country’s constitution – and include model/actress and former Miss Colombia Válery Domínguez.

The scandal of the bogus subsidies, which is also being investigated by the Procuraduría General de la Nación (Office of the Inspector General), broke in September after the publication of an exposé in Cambio magazine.

According to repeated denunciations by peasant and indigenous communities, lawmakers, academics and non-governmental organisations, the magazine revealed, AIS funds have not only been disbursed to wealthy families with close ties to Uribe, but also to right-wing paramilitary groups and drug traffickers.

More:
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49854

http://www.cbc.ca.nyud.net:8090/gfx/images/news/photos/2009/01/13/alvaro-uribe-cp-6085007.jpg

(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Presidential Medal of Freedom, January 13, 2009
from _{George W Bush} to Colombia's Álvaro Uribe.

[rabs]

1. Had been following this for the past three months

... just another scandal against Uribe that mainly has been swept under the poncho ...



About 35 million dollars was handed out to rich families allegedly for irrigation.



Former Miss Colombia 2005 Valeria Domingues got a wheelbarrow of pesos for her farming and irrigation prowess. It has been reported that she returned the money. Another former beauty queeen named Ana María Dávila also got a potfull of pesos.



http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/6082-beauty-queens-and-policitians-families-receive-major-subsidies.html

And so it goes in Colombia, a new uribista scandal almost every week.

[Bacchus39]

2. corruption in Colombia is surprising news????

tell us more on this story. lets talk about corruption in latin america, got a lifetime??

Colombia has a vibrant agricultural sector. they grow a wide variety of products it certainly could be said. Irrigation is an important component of agriculture so I am not sure what your photo would suggest. the second pic is quite nice though, good job on that one.