Alejandro Lyons
44th Governor of Córdoba
In office
January 1, 2012 – December 31, 2015
Preceded byMarta Sáenz
Succeeded byEdwin Besaile
Personal details
Born
Alejandro José Lyons Muskus

(1981-04-25) April 25, 1981
Sahagún, Córdoba, Colombia
Political partyParty of the U
Alma materExternado University of Colombia (BoL)

Alejandro José Lyons Muskus (born April 25, 1981) is a Colombian lawyer and politician, former governor of the department of Córdoba,[1] currently involved in multiple acts of corruption in Colombia.

Lyons worked with Bernardo "Ñoño" Elías Vidal and Musa Besaile, and assigned royalty contracts for COP$65 billion pesos with the Fund for Innovation, Science and Technology that were never executed, but the money ended up with figureheads of Lyons, Elías and Besaile[2] This, added to other summary contracts, embezzles the department of Córdoba for COP$500 billion pesos, contracts for which they would have charged contractors commissions of 30 percent.[3] The network of contractors includes as beneficiaries relatives of Lyons, Elías and Besaile, as well as allied political groups and friends in Córdoba.[4]

Lyons has accumulated more than 20 processes for corruption in Colombia that accumulate an embezzlement of COP $107 billion pesos,[5] and in 2017 he went to the United States with his family, where he began to collaborate with the authorities of that country as an "informant", and helped uncover the network of corruption in Colombian justice known as the cartel de la toga . On December 5, 2018, the Attorney General's Office dismissed and disqualified Lyons from holding public office for 15 years.[6]

His friend, accomplice and partner Sami Spath, in charge of diverting and distributing the money resulting from corruption, was captured in Italy, on May 12, 2018, by means of a red notice from Interpol.[7]

Early life

Alejandro is the son of Alejandro Eugenio Lyons De la Espriella and Luz Helena Muskus García.[8] He is the first cousin of Sara Piedrahíta Lyons, who has been a representative to the Chamber for the department of Córdoba.

Family

Lyons married Johanna Elías Vidal in October 2013, from whose union three daughters were born: Sara, Elena and Elisa Lyons Elías.[3][2][9] Johanna es hermana del político Bernardo "Ñoño" Elías Vidal.[3]

Alejandro Lyons is a cousin of the lawyer Luis Ignacio Lyons, who was involved in the bribery and corruption case known as the cartel de la toga.[10]

Education

Muskus studied law at the Universidad Externado and obtained a specialization in Criminal Procedural Law.[1] He has studies in Constitutional Law and State Contracting.[1]

Lawyer for parapoliticians

After graduating Muskus practiced law as a trial lawyer in Bogotá.[1] Several of his clients were involved in the Parapolitics scandal, in which politicians and public officials made alliances with paramilitary groups outside the law of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC).

Among his clients was the former governor of the department of Sucre, Salvador Arana, who ended up sentenced to 40 years in prison for being the intellectual author of the murder of the former mayor of El Roble, Sucre, Tito Díaz.[1]

Governor of Córdoba (2012 - 2015)

Lyons was elected in the 2011 Colombian regional elections for the governorship of Córdoba with the support of the Partido de la U in his department; senators Bernardo Elías, Musa Besaile, former senator Zulema Jattin, Margarita Andrade, Martín Morales Diz and former congressman Miguel De La Espriella.[1][2] Lyons got a vote of more than 341,000 votes.[11] His followers began to be called the "Lyonists".[12]

He faced the powerful liberal clan of the López Cabrales, led by former Congressman Juan Manuel López Cabrales, and his wife, Senator Arleth Casado.[1]

Due to the corruption scandals with Elías and Besaile, Lyons tried to distance himself and create alliances with senators Nora García, Arleth Casado and Yamina Pestana, in addition to readjusting his departmental cabinet.

At the beginning of his administration in the government of Córdoba, according to Las2orillas, Lyons came to be considered the "second best governor" of Colombia",[3] and when he finished he was considered among the most corrupt rulers of Córdoba, according to Revista Semana[13][14]

Concession of the Chance in Córdoba

Governor Lyons handed over the Chance (bets) concession in Córdoba to an individual named Pedro Ghisays Chadid, who was identified by the Attorney General's Office as a front man for the narco-paramilitary chief Salvatore Mancuso of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia and the Northern Bloc of the AUC.[1][15]

Embezzlement of royalties from Córdoba

The administration of Lyons Muskus made the award of four cooperation agreements for science and technology for COP$85,700 million pesos, financed with resources from the General System of Royalties and authorized in the Collegiate Body of Administration and Decision.

Hemophilia cartel

As governor of Córdoba, Lyons authorized a contract in which COP$44 billion pesos were disbursed from the government to non-existent Health Provider Institutions (IPS) to carry out treatments for high-cost patients suffering from hemophilia, however, patients that they registered turned out to be non-existent or did not suffer from the reported diseases, and they charged money for medicines not contemplated in the Compulsory Health Plan.[2][3]

The health secretaries of his administration Alexis José Gaines Acuña, Alfredo Aruachán Narváez, Edwin Preciado Lorduy were involved in the scandal. the legal representative of Funtierra Rehabilitation Limited Medical Services, Tania Otero; and the medical auditor Juan David Náder Chejne.

The health corruption scandal continued in the governorship of Edwin Besaile with his officials.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Alejandro Lyons Muskus" (in Spanish). 16 August 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Akerman, Yohir (9 September 2017). "Luna de miel" (in Spanish). El Espectador. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Alejandro Lyons, el monstruo que crearon los Ñoños" (in Spanish). Las 2 Orillas. 13 July 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  4. ↑ "El rastro de fichas del 'Ñoño' y Lyons en contratos de Córdoba" (in Spanish). El Tiempo. 14 October 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  5. ↑ Serrano M., Nidia (6 June 2019). "Exgobernador Lyons tiene 20 investigaciones por $107 mil millones" (in Spanish). El Universal. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  6. ↑ Rodríguez, Johana (5 December 2018). "Alejandro Lyons fue destituido e inhabilitado por 15 años" (in Spanish). La FM. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  7. ↑ "Capturado en Italia Sami Spath. Tenía circular roja en su contra" (in Spanish). El Tiempo. 12 May 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  8. ↑ "La abogada Luz Helena Muskus García renunció a su cargo como notaria 1ra de Montería" (in Spanish). La Piragua. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  9. ↑ "Alejandro Lyons quiere regresar a Colombia y pide al Procurador General que sirva de garante para su seguridad personal y la de su familia" (in Spanish). GS Noticias. 6 November 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  10. ↑ "Aplazan imputación de cargos a abogado clave del 'Cartel de la Toga'" (in Spanish). La Opinión. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  11. ↑ Hurtado González, Luz Carime (11 November 2017). "Caso Lyons: cuando delinquir sí paga" (in Spanish). El Espectador. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  12. ↑ Isabel Alvarez, José (15 October 2019). "Lyones al acecho" (in Spanish). Zenú Radio. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  13. ↑ ""La mitad de las coimas eran para Musa y la otra para mí"" (in Spanish). Revista Semana. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  14. ↑ Betín, Tomás (11 May 2017). "Los 56 presuntos implicados en la corrupción de Córdoba" (in Spanish). El Heraldo. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  15. ↑ "Empresarios y ganaderos figuran en los documentos de la caleta de Mancuso" (in Spanish). Caracol Radio. 12 June 2008. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
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