Laureano Acuña: profile of the senator in audio for buying votes - Electoral News - Elections 2022

The phrase ‘The past stepped on’ does not seem to apply in the life of the current senator Laureano Augusto Acuna Diazto whom the Supreme Court of Justice opened an investigation for vote buying, in the same process of September 2019 against Aida Merlano.

(Also read: The new strategy so that the Atlantic people do not depend on the ‘paid newspaper’)

Today it is again ‘in the mouth’ of the control bodies, this time of the Attorney General’s Office, by an audio published by the lawyer of the former fugitive congresswoman, Miguel Ángel del Río, in which the ‘Flying Cat’ allegedly He talks about “buying 70,000 votes”.

To learn about the life of Acuña Díaz, you have to go back to March 25, 1971, when this Barranquilla native was born in the humble Santa Maria neighborhoodof the Metropolitan locality.

He is the son of Elvia Díaz and Laureano Acuña, whom he used to accompany in the social and civic activities that he led in the neighborhoods with the purpose of managing support for vulnerable communities.

He became a bachelor and, in that constant contact with the population, he met and made friendship with the Gerleins, when they intervened in the neighborhoods, especially in electoral campaigns. That’s how it started, as a collaborator of the brothers Jorge and Roberto.

In full session of Congress, the
Charista candidate and current Senator
Laureano Acuña, the famous cat
flyer, member of the ethics committee,
talk to the House candidate
Edison Massa and warns: “minimum
we have to buy 70 thousand votes”
The Char Clan mafias. pic.twitter.com/jBqVcgPkhv

– Miguel Angel Del Río Malo (@migueldelrioabg) February 16, 2022

The origin of the nickname ‘Flying cat’

I aspired to be president of that corporation, but on election day they already had another majority and I was left in the minority.

After gaining the trust of this political family, he managed to count on their support to be launched into the Barranquilla Council in 2002, by the Conservative party. What would happen a week after being elected as a councilor for the first time earned him the nickname of the ‘Flying Cat’.

After a few days in this District institution, the man, who because of the color of his eyes was already known as the cat, ‘fled’ or separated himself from the interests of the political group that promoted him.

“We had a majority in the Council and the election of a board of directors was coming, I aspired to be president of that corporation, but on the day of the election they already had another majority and I was in the minority,” Acuña explained in this way. W Radius.

To this is added that, at that time, the song was in full swing ‘The flying cat‘, one of those old school reggaeton that was playing at any time on commercial stations.

His time in the House and Senate

The man repeated for the second consecutive time in the Council of Barranquilla, to later make his debut in the Congress of the republic as Representative to the Chamber for the department of Atlántico (2010-2014). Later, he was seen allied with the Char family.

From there he ended up, from 2015 to the present, in the Senate for two consecutive periods (2014-2018 and 2018-2022). Today he seeks to repeat for the third time in these instances, launching his candidacy for the day of March 13 .

A career with scandals

Making his debut as a senator, Laureano Acuña made headlines for a video in which he appeared, apparently, drunk and refusing to practice a breathalyzer testin Riohacha (La Guajira).

In the recording, he assured that he was not driving and claimed the traffic police for “wanting to incriminate him.” In statements to the media, he indicated that he was going to appeal the fine.

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Likewise, in mid-June of last year he was accused of allegedly threatening the Mayor of Malambo (Atlántico), Rumenigge Monsalve, for the screenshots of some chats in which he allegedly wrote that “I go and take two shots at him.”

After the publication of the audio by the lawyer Del Río, Internet users have remembered this chat.

Photo:

Taken from social networks

Given this situation, the municipal president said he was concerned about his safety and that of his family. While the senator maintained that “this chat is totally false.”

At the end of the same month, there was a shooting attack on the house of Mayor Monsalve. It should be clarified that this fact has not been related to the alleged threats in the chats and is being investigated by the authorities.

Conservative Senator Laureano Acuña at a pandemic party without a mask to cover his nose, but about to put on a big-nosed thong: one for the other… They don’t legislate in person but they dance deliciously when they party in person. pic.twitter.com/0k007jGDYP

– Daniel Samper Ospina (@DanielSamperO) June 19, 2021

For that same month of 2021, he was again the target of criticism in the country for appearing in a video dancing and under the influence of alcohol, along with other people, without the biosecurity measures due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Currently, the senator faces the investigations of the Supreme Court (2019) and the investigation of the Attorney General’s Office (2022) for cases of vote buying. To the latter, he replied: “I will not be a guinea pig in a discussion far removed from any political connection.”

BARRANQUILLA

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Profile of Julio Gerlein mentioned in the case of Aida Merlano - Barranquilla - Colombia

The name of Julio Gerlein Echeverria It has come out publicly again in the last few hours. This time, not because of the works in which his contracting firm participates, but because of the case Aida Merlano to which he has been linked since 2018.

(Also read: How Aida Merlano’s statements affect Alex Char’s campaign)

In an audio broadcast this Thursday by the former congresswoman’s lawyer, Miguel Angel del Rioa dialogue is heard between Merlano Rebolledo and Gerlein, who assures him that he contributed 12,000 million pesos for his election.

But who is Julio Gerlein Echeverría? He is part of a traditional family from Barranquilla. He was born in 1940 and is the brother of the deceased George and Robert Gerlein.

The rise of Valorcon

Unlike his brothers, Julio stayed out of politics, at least not directly involved. He trained as a civil engineer at the Javeriana university and, after gaining experience in the construction sector, founded Valorcon in 1992.

Since then, with the firm, he has become a powerful public contracting authority, participating in hundreds of housing projects, roads, industry, sports and even in the navigability of the Magdalena River.

This is how it was linked in the construction of the Metropolitan Stadiumwas also once in the operation of sewage, aqueduct and sanitation of Triple A, and in the construction of the roads for the Transmetro mass transportation system.

He also participated together with Odebrechtin the Navelena Consortium, which was assigned the recovery of the navigability of the Magdalena River, through a Public Private Partnership (PPP), signed by the national government and Cormagdalena.

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However, it was expired in 2017 due to alleged hiring irregularities.

Similarly, it was linked to the North Connection Highway Concession, worth 875,000 thousand million pesos, for the work of a fourth generation road, which connects Bajo Cauca with the Coast.

Gerlein’s participation with Valorcon also reached the remodeling works of the Ernesto Cortissoz airportfrom Barranquilla, in 2015. With an initial investment of 610,000 million pesos, it was awarded to Grupo Aeroportuario del Caribe.

This conformation is made up of Valorcon, with 41.5 percent; Universal Team and Ghafari Associates. The project has been questioned due to the delay in the delivery of the works and due to the current appearance of the air terminal, with leaks inside.

His relationship with Aida Merlano Rebolledo

The Gerlein family has also participated in the Barranquilla Carnival. Especially in 2014, when Julio’s granddaughter, Maria Margarita Diazgranados Gerlein it was the queen. For the coronation party, they hired the singer Juan Luis Guerra.

But it was not the only time that Gerlein was related to the “carnestolendas”, as his wife Margarita Villa de Gerlein was also queen of these parties in the year 1988.

Since the Colombian authorities raided the called ‘White House’ by Aida MerlanoIn 2018, more details of the relationship that both had and from which Gerlein has tried to distance himself were known.

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Thread of a conversation between Aida Merlano and Julio Gerlein establishes how their campaign received money from Serfinanza, the company of the Char and Faisal Cure in the purchase of votes. This is not a political game. They are crimes and they involve the coastal mafias. And more will come! Part 1 pic.twitter.com/nNBN5zRDeq

– Miguel Angel Del Río Malo (@migueldelrioabg) February 10, 2022

One of Merlano Rebolledo’s childhood dreams was to reach the political spectrum. This is how she found, according to previous versions, support from this family, especially from Julio, who took her from a neighborhood in the south-west of the city and took her to live in an apartment in the north.

It must be remembered that, prior to her relationship with Julio Gerlein, the former congresswoman had as her second husband the former councilman of Barranquilla and today a candidate for the Senate, Carlos Rojano Llinaswho was trying to take Gerlein’s place in Congress, but the scandal broke in 2018.

Gerlein gradually involved her with the heads of the Conservative party until her launch as a candidate for the Senate four years ago, obtaining the number of votes necessary to get there.

Further, his daughter, Aida Victoria, has publicly supported the father figure that the man meant to her, denoting the strong bond they had between the three. Because of this confession, the young woman has been the target of threats.

Julio Gerlein was charged by the Attorney General’s Office for alleged illegal financing of the ‘White House’.

This institution pointed him out for the crimes of conspiracy to commit a crime, corruption of the voter and violation of the ceilings or limits of expenses in electoral campaigns.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, “it was established that the organization worked at the service of candidacies that were supported by a group of regional political leaders who, in turn, contacted leaders in charge of recruiting voters from their captive markets. Such voters received money in exchange for their vote, as if it were a commodity, from illicit financing sources.

BARRANQUILLA

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