BOGOTÁ, CARACAS – A major political controversy has erupted in Colombia after prominent journalist Daniel Coronell published an investigation alleging that Colombian presidential candidate and attorney Abelardo de la Espriella received more than $370,000 between 2014 and 2015 from companies connected to the business network of Alex Saab.
According to the investigation, the payments allegedly came from companies including Group Grand Limited and Consorcio Estructuras Metálicas, entities tied to business operations that have long been scrutinized in corruption investigations involving Venezuela’s government.
Alex Saab and Abelardo de la Espriella
The report states that the money was officially described as payment for “international tax advisory services,” but the origin of the funds has intensified scrutiny because both companies were allegedly used within Saab’s broader financial network connected to the Venezuelan regime.
Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman and former close ally of the government of Nicolás Maduro, has for years been accused by U.S. authorities of operating as a financial intermediary for the Venezuelan government and participating in large-scale money laundering and corruption schemes. Saab has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
The controversy has become particularly explosive because De la Espriella is currently a presidential candidate in Colombia and has built part of his political image around strong criticism of corruption and leftist governments in the region.
The investigation published by Spanish newspaper El País cites court documents filed in Florida as evidence of the transfers. According to the report, one payment of $199,950 was allegedly sent from a Group Grand Limited account at the Global Bank of Commerce in Antigua and Barbuda. Another transfer of $99,950 reportedly came from Consorcio Estructuras Metálicas. A third payment of $74,950 was allegedly scheduled shortly afterward.
The article notes that the payments were consistently structured just below round-number thresholds, which financial compliance experts often associate with attempts to avoid automatic transaction reporting systems.
Coronell’s investigation also references a letter allegedly signed by De la Espriella in 2014 addressed to a Miami law firm specializing in tax and financial matters. The report further claims that some of the funds may have been linked to the purchase of an apartment in Miami’s Brickell district, though questions remain about the final destination of portions of the money.
According to El País, De la Espriella did not respond to questions sent by reporters regarding the payments or the origin of the funds.
The revelations come at a sensitive political moment in Colombia, where De la Espriella has emerged as a prominent right-wing political figure ahead of upcoming presidential elections.
The lawyer’s past relationship with Saab has already been a source of controversy in recent months. De la Espriella served as Saab’s attorney between 2013 and 2019 and has publicly acknowledged the professional relationship in previous interviews.
Saab’s legal troubles have carried major geopolitical implications because his alleged financial operations were deeply connected to Venezuela’s sanctioned oil, food import and state contracting systems during years of economic collapse and severe shortages inside the country.
The latest allegations are expected to intensify debate in Colombia about political financing, corruption and the lingering regional influence of networks tied to the Venezuelan government.