A Colombian court orders the seizure of a property belonging to former national team goalkeeper Rene Higuita, after concluding that Pablo Escobar’s cartel money was used to buy the house. The dispute centers on a home Higuita acquired in 1992 in an upscale area of Medellín. Prosecutors say the purchase involved steps intended to obscure the origin of the funds, including allegations of procedural “manoeuvres” and forged signatures to “cover up the origin” of the sale. According to investigators, the property originally moved through successive transfers before ultimately ending up under Higuita’s name about a year before Escobar’s death. The case followed a long investigation tracing the purchase to a front linked to brothers William and Gerardo Moncada, who later die in prison, according to the court account. Higuita rejects the finding, telling a radio station that he considers himself a victim and saying the matter is a coincidence. He has appealed the court decision, and sources report he is allowed to keep the property in the meantime while the appeal is pending.
Colombian court orders seizure of Rene Higuita home over alleged Escobar-linked funds
A Colombian court orders the seizure of a property belonging to former national team goalkeeper Rene Higuita, after concluding that Pablo Escobar’s cartel money was used to buy the house. The dispute...
- A Colombian court orders seizure of a property owned by former goalkeeper Rene Higuita.
- The court finds cartel money linked to Pablo Escobar was used to purchase the home.
- Prosecutors allege the transaction included steps such as forged signatures to conceal the funds’ origin.
- The property is said to have changed hands through successive transfers before ending up under Higuita’s name.
- Higuita says the ruling is a coincidence and has appealed; he can keep the property while the appeal proceeds.
A Colombian court has ordered the seizure of a property belonging to legendary footballer Rene Higuita after concluding that Pablo Escobar's cartel money was used to purchase the house.
1 month agoBOGOTA, Colombia (AFP) -- A Colombian court on Thursday ordered the seizure of a property belonging to legendary footballer Rene Higuita after concluding that Pablo Escobar's cartel money was used to purchase the house. Former Colombia international goalkeeper Higuita -- famed for his outrageous overhead scorpion kick -- acquired the home in an upscale Medellin neighborhood in 1992. Prosecutors allege "manuevers" and forged signatures to "cover up the origin" of the sale, the office told AFP Thursday. The deal entailed "successive transfers... until it finally ended up in the name of the former footballer" one year before bloodthirsty drug baron Escobar's death, it added. A 12-year investigation found that a front for brothers and cartel members William and Gerardo Moncada -- both later killed in prison under Escobar's orders -- initially acquired the property. "It is pure and simple coincidence," Higuita told Bogota-based Blu Radio, adding that he considers himself a "victim of these events." The Medellin-born goalie has appealed the court decision and is allowed to hold on to the property in the meantime. "El Loco" (the madman) first showed off his acrobatic scorpion kick, which entails kicking his legs up behind him to save goals, during a Colombia-England match in 1995. Higuita's run-ins with the drug world have also attracted attention. He was arrested after visiting Escobar in prison in 1993, and investigated for mediating the release of a drug trafficker's daughter who had been kidnapped by the kingpin. He received an illegal payment for brokering the deal, but charges against him for doing so were later dropped. "From then on they started calling me Pablo Escobar's friend, and you have no idea how many problems that has caused me," he said.
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