Colombia's Supreme Court has upheld an 11-year prison sentence against Luis Javier Rojas Morera for money laundering, while absolving him of illicit enrichment. The case dates back to 2016, when he was caught transporting 614 million pesos in an official Senate vehicle. The ruling reactivates the arrest warrant for him to serve his sentence.
On April 4, 2016, Luis Javier Rojas Morera was caught at a military checkpoint in Bogotá's El Chicó neighborhood in Usaquén, transporting 614 million pesos in two suitcases inside a gray 2011 Toyota Camry with official Senate plates (OBH-651). The operation, led by Captain Hugo German Quintero with support from the Attorney General's Office and U.S. intelligence agencies like the DEA and ICE, led to his on-the-spot arrest.
Rojas Morera, advisor to Congressman Alexander García Rodríguez of the U Party, tried to bribe the soldiers, first offering 50 million pesos and then doubling it, but they refused and notified the CTI of the Prosecutor's Office. The money, consisting of 12,999 bills, was presumed linked to criminal groups like the Clan del Golfo and drug trafficker Mauricio Pachón Rozo, alias 'Puntilla', killed in 2018, though the case file did not directly prove this tie.
The defense claimed the funds belonged to businessman Juan Martín Lozano Sánchez, handed over for safekeeping during a move, but courts dismissed this due to lack of accounting records and the witness's delayed appearance. The Superior Court of Bogotá and the Sixth Specialized Circuit Penal Court convicted him of money laundering and bribery, rulings upheld by the Supreme Court on December 21, 2024.
Magistrate Carlos Roberto Solórzano Garavito stressed that 'hiding the origin of assets is enough to constitute the crime of money laundering,' pointing to the use of the official vehicle to dodge checks and the inability to prove the money's legality. Rojas Morera, son of former Senate finance director Magdalena Morera Rebolledo, now faces 132 months in prison, a 1.518 million peso fine, disqualification from public office for five years, and loss of political rights. Currently free due to expired terms, his arrest is imminent.
