State Department Posts $10 Million Reward for Colombian National Over Alleged Bribery Scheme

The U.S. State Department is shown successful Washington connected Jan. 26, 2017. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The State Department announced a $10 cardinal reward connected Oct. 22 for accusation starring to the apprehension oregon condemnation of a Colombian nationalist that the United States accused of partaking successful a bribery scheme.

Colombian nationalist Alvaro Pulido Vargas and 4 others were charged connected Oct. 21 by the Department of Justice. They were accused of bringing Venezuelan authorities officials to get inflated contracts to import and administer nutrient and medicine done a state-run programme called CLAP. The individuals besides allegedly laundered the proceeds of the contracts.

The State Department connected Friday recounted the details of their alleged crimes.

“Beginning successful 2015, Pulido and others began moving to get oregon clasp contracts to supply nutrient to the Venezuelan people. Pulido and his co-conspirators allegedly marked-up the outgo of producing the boxes of nutrient successful bid to marque a idiosyncratic nett from their production,” the connection reads.

“From this outgo mark-up, the conspirators were capable to wage bribes and kickbacks to those Venezuelan authorities officials who assisted them successful obtaining the declaration to nutrient the boxes, and marque millions of dollars successful nett for themselves.”

The $10 cardinal reward is offered nether the Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP).

According to the indictment (pdf), the 5 men received $1.6 cardinal from Venezuela and transferred $180 cardinal done oregon to slope accounts successful the United States. The 3 Colombians and 2 Venezuelans look 1 number of conspiracy to perpetrate money laundering and 4 counts of wealth laundering.

Pulido has allegedly worked with Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman and envoy of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Last week, Saab was extradited to the United States, charged with wealth laundering.

The Maduro authorities has condemned the extradition, calling it “kidnapping.” Meanwhile, Colombian President Ivan Duque praised the extradition, penning connected Twitter, “The extradition of Alex Saab is simply a triumph successful the combat against the cause trafficking, plus laundering, and corruption that the dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro has fostered.”