Ex-Colombian congresswoman says she was bribed

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Miami Herald

Ex-Colombian congresswoman says she was bribed
A former Colombian congresswoman says she was offered special benefits to vote in favor of a reform to help President Alvaro Uribe's reelection bid.
Posted on Sun, Apr. 20, 2008
BY GERARDO REYES
El Nuevo Herald

A former Colombian congresswoman whose vote was key to approving a constitutional reform that cleared the way for President Alvaro Uribe's reelection bid in 2006 claims she was offered certain benefits for her ballot, in apparent violation of Colombian law.

Yidis Medina said in a previously unseen 2004 video that Uribe, then-Interior Minister Sabas Pretelt and Alberto Velásquez, then secretary general of the presidency, offered her ''whatever she wanted'' in exchange for her vote favoring the reelection.

According to Medina, 17 other congressional representatives were also approached with similar offers.

The granting of special benefits to congressional representatives in exchange for votes has been standard practice throughout the history of the Colombian Congress.

But a 2003 constitutional amendment backed by Uribe outlawed the practice.



Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/502784.html

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Yidis Medina





Sabas Pretelt



Alberto Velásquez

[AlphaCentauri]

1. Never too late to know the true but late to change history.

[Texano78704]

2. Why would someone do that?

I thought that Uribe was a super popular president. Why would someone go to the effort to bribe congressmen to vote for a constitutional change that would let Uribe run for a second term? Okay, maybe that was a little tongue in cheek.

I was looking at some articles on El Pais, Cali Colombia's daily, and it seems that at the time Medina's change of heart was questioned and she tried to play it as she really was undecided. She's going to needs some backup.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Looks as if she's getting some coverage of some kind in Colombia. Here's a news clip

showing her in an interview. Unfortunately, I can't grasp what it says as I can only recognize a few words.

Any Spanish speaking DU'er can definitely get a clue, however, of what's going on, if this clip wasn't prepared by a Fox-News kind of channel!

http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1514307378&channel=1274085121

On edit, adding newsclip in Spanish:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVPhOwHqSng

[Judi Lynn]

4. Colombian paper runs statement by Uribe's government accusing reporter of falsifying interview.

This is the super clumsy Google translation tool version of an article which appeared in El Spectador. Any Spanish readers might be able to make more sense of the information from the article linked at the bottom:

April 18, 2008 - 9:15 PM
Government said that interviews Yiddish Medina was manipulated
The Executive issued a statement which says that "Daniel Coronell and Yiddish Medina have developed since August 2004, a video in which the former acting as a journalist and interviewer as the second parliamentary interviewed. Kar known so far, the interviewer induce answer. "

According to the communiqué, "all indications are that the journalist spoke with the previously interviewed on the questions and answers, and saved the video even when both interested consider is the time of broadcast." Add the text that "mobile video has been one of profit and favors government for the parliamentary vote was pretending to be purchased. The Government has nothing to hide in managing its policy of giving representation to parties Government ".

Finally, the Government requests the Prosecutor and the Office initiate immediate investigation compared the alleged facts:

This is the communiqué issued by the Government:

1. The government has information that Mr. Daniel Coronell and Yiddish Medina have developed since August 2004, a video in which the former acting as a journalist and interviewer as the second parliamentary interviewed. It is known so far, the interviewer induced responses, such as: Daniel Coronell Question: Is it to say, you stated that the President was in agreement with that Receiv (sic), which received charges in exchange for your vote?

2. Everything indicates that the journalist spoke with the previously interviewed on the questions and answers, and saved the video even when both interested consider is the time of broadcast.

3. Mobile video has been one of profit and favors government for the parliamentary vote was pretending to be purchased. The Government has nothing to hide in managing its policy of giving representation to parties in government.

4. Searching obtain contracts and appointments, the former parliament has tried that senior officials deviate from the guidelines expressly provide political representation to all segments of the bench Government, within the framework of transparency and honesty.

5. As there has been no appointments and contracts corrupt and clientelistic, parliamentary and journalist believe that "he has not been fulfilled promises and, consequently, the time has come to make public the recording of August 2004.

6. The government asked the Prosecutor and the Attorney General to initiate immediate investigation.

7. It is a matter of ethics committees of the media organizations, investigate the actions of those who give to manipulate and pervert the information with interviews agreed.

Bogota, April 18, 2008

Elespectador.com

http://www.elespectador.com/noticias/politica/articulo-gobierno-dice-entrevista-yidis-medina-pieza-clave-de-reeleccion-fue-manip

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the popular newspaper, El Tiempo ("Time") :

April 19, 2008

They manipulate interview with the former congressman Yiddish Medina accused the Presidency Daniel Coronell

In a video delivered this weekend One News, Coronell Medina asks if the President agreed with charges that she received in exchange for their votes in favor of re-election.

While the content of the interview is not yet known, the Casa de Nariño issued on Friday night in a communique stating that the interview was ready since August 2004 and Coronell "saved until the video when both interested consider when time of broadcast. "

The Government said that in the video, Coronell "acting as a journalist interviewer," and Yiddish Medina "as parliamentary interviewed" and accuses the journalist prompt replies.

La Casa de Nariño further states that "Mobile video has been one of profit and favors government for the parliamentary vote was pretending to be purchased" and clarifies that it has been transparent in the handling of the political representation of the parties.

"As there has been no appointments and contracts corrupt and clientelistic, parliamentary and the journalist believed that 'it has not kept promises and, consequently, the time has come to make public the recording of August 2004."

'We want to divert attention' Coronell

The journalist Daniel Coronell rejected assertions by the Casa de Nariño and assured that what the Government is seeking to divert attention to the content of the interview, "which is the offer of posts to a congressman in exchange for votes," said director News One by Caracol Radio.

Coronell also expressed surprise that the Government knew the contents of the interview and was reported in the communiqué on Friday, a direct quote of information.

However, a government source told TIME that heard the interview by the reporter from the Miami Herald, Gerardo Reyes.

Reyes sent on Friday to President Alvaro Uribe a questionnaire on this topic, which transcribed verbatim apart from the interview, with questions and answers Daniel Coronell of Yiddish Medina.

According to the Government, the sentence was outlined in the communiqué was extractó the questionnaire sent by Gerardo Reyes to the president of the republic.

Coronell accepted Caracol Radio that the video was recorded on August 8, 2004, but said that "when the video was recorded, it was agreed that the public would be if something happened to Yiddish Medina." It revealed that the congressman also warned that "if the Government does not comply I can publish video."

http://www.eltiempo.com/politica/2008-04-19/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR-4109216.html

On edit:
This seems to be the original interview, recorded August, 8, 2004.

http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1514307369&channel=1274085121

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What journalist in his/her right mind would ever DREAM of manipulating an interview with a government official in a country where they have assassinated journalists at an astonishing rate, driving some who got the death threats to simply flee the country, and the rest, as has been admitted by Colombian journalists themselves, to SELF-CENSOR TO AVOID BEING KILLED as their means of hoping for survival!

[Judi Lynn]

5. A google-translated article from "El Universal" on Medina and her interview with Coronell:

On interviews with former parliamentarians YIDIS Medina
There was no manipulation: Daniel Coronell
, COLPRENSA - Bogota

The Government and informative One News, was "engaged" in a controversy for the veracity of a video in which the former parliamentary Yidis Medina, alleged that received benefits to vote in favour of the presidential reelection.

In a statement to the House of Narino on Friday night the government argued that this video, which has not yet been issued, is a manipulation "intended patronage" of discrediting the presidential reelection, and stressed that the transparency of Government .

Knowing the press release, the director of One News, Daniel Coronell, denied that the interview, taped several years ago and only until this Sunday will see the spotlight had been manipulated and that the Government wants to hide "a truth for the purpose to divert the discussion ".

On Friday, the Press Secretary de Palacio issued a seven-point communiqué in which rejected the video, "the mobile video has been profit and government favors for parliamentary pretending that their vote was bought. The Government has nothing to hide in managing its policy of giving representation to parties in government. "

In the same way that affirms the interviewer induces responses from the former Congressman to read that the government benefits promised to vote for the presidential reelection.

The communiqué assured that at the time of re-election was not promised anything in the former parliament and that what she was looking for a client in the State.

Faced with this, and he asked the Palace "Prosecution and the Attorney General to initiate immediate" investigation "to find the mobile video.

Videos are filtered: Coronell

The journalist Daniel Coronell expressed discomfort by the Government's knowledge Some sections of the video and denied that this is a manipulation. In an interview with Caracol Radio, Coronell and said that seeks to divert attention compared to its content.

"I think that the purpose of the communiqué is divert attention from the real substance, which is offering posts to a congressman in exchange for votes, to become a debate against the journalist who publishes information," said Coronell.

He seems to suspect that the communiqué issued by Palace has appointments textual content of the interview because according to him, there are only two copies of the Yidis and the newscast.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I reject the accusations": Medina
, COLPRENSA

The former congressman Yidis Medina rejected signs that the Casa de Narino from unionization, she and the journalist Daniel Coronel, of having "prepared, since August 2004, a video".

The term refers to as announced filmic document to be presented this Sunday at One News, in which the former congressman account what led her to tilt the balance her vote in favor of reelection.

"Let me make clear, compared to the statement that drew Palacio, who totally reject these accusations because I have no plot with the journalist Daniel Coronell," said Medina.

http://www.eluniversal.com.co/noticias/20080420/ctg_pol_no_hubo_manipulacion_daniel_coronell.html