Colombians are gripped by a dramatic jailbreak by a former congresswoman Aida Merlano. Merlano, who was in jail for electoral fraud and illegal possession of firearms, had been transported by prison authorities to a clinic to get her teeth whitened. While at the clinic, she escaped out of the window and is now on the run. The episode has become symbolic of the systematic corruption in the country.
RELATED:
Colombian Stealing Lands from Displaced Campesinos Is Running for Governor
Colombia’s President Ivan Duque has fired the director of prisons, and the head of Bogota’s women's prison, blaming them for the prison break. Merlano was a lawmaker for the Colombian Conservative Party and was set to serve 15 years in jail. However, just two weeks into her sentence, she escaped.
CCTV footage at the clinic was leaked and shows the moment she flees out of the window, and in which all three staff members leave the room at the same time just as she begins her escape.
The plot thickened as it emerged that the ‘dentist’ supposedly carried out work prior to her escape and was in fact a retired army colonel, dressing up as a clinician.
An investigation has been called into why Merlano was allowed to go for beauty treatment outside the prison, and into whether authorities colluded in her escape.
Colombia’s Inspector General released a statement saying, “This convicted woman has made an unacceptable mockery of Colombian society, the justice system and the legal system”.
Other high profile politicians in Colombia are also facing charges related to corruption. Former right-wing President Alvaro Uribe is currently on trial for allegations of fraud and links to death squads. Meanwhile, another Uribe ally Anibal Gaviria, is set to win the governor race in Antioquia, despite ignoring multiple court rulings instructing him to hand back lands he illegally acquired from campesinos that were displaced by paramilitaries linked to his family business.