Jacuzzis, mini bar, light sets and suite-type rooms.
This was what uniformed members of the National Police found when they arrived at a seven-story building in the Laureles sector, in Medellín, a few blocks from the Atanasio Girardot stadium, where a luxurious hotel operated. The Prosecutor’s Office imposed precautionary measures of asset forfeiture for a million-dollar fraud in public services.
READ ALSO
Although it was known that in addition to that building, the accusing body imposed measures on 39 other properties in the capital of Antioquia valued at more than 77 billion pesos, EL TIEMPO reveals what were the hotels and who are the businessmen behind the network.
READ ALSO
Illegal connections
Another of the hotels linked to the public services fraud network. Photo:Social networks
In fact, the Prosecutor’s Office assures that it has evidence that several residences and commercial establishments in Medellín would have manipulated for years water and energy meters to obtain economic benefits.
In fact, it is said that they allegedly made illegal connections to gas networks to prevent the actual recording of consumption.
The investigation, with technical support from Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM), also identified frequent changes in company name, legal representation and ownership, used to make asset traceability difficult.
EL TIEMPO investigated and established that there were at least 14 hotels behind the million-dollar fraud, including the Thematic Suites hotel, the seven-story one that is next to the Atanasio Girardot stadium.
READ ALSO
In that hotel, which was created in 2009, Marina Ester Rozo De Mejía appears as the owner and By 2026 it reported at least 672 million pesos in assets.
EL TIEMPO contacted the hotel to ask about the alleged fraud in the public service meters, but an employee answered who assured that she would agree with Rozo de Mejía. At the time of going to press, he had not responded.
The Corrals
The registration of precautionary measures from the Prosecutor’s Office in the Medellín Chamber of Commerce. Photo:Private file
This newspaper learned of the document registering precautionary measures from the Prosecutor’s Office, signed by María Gelvez Albarracín, Prosecutor 65 of the Specialized Directorate of Asset Forfeiture, which was sent to the Medellín Chamber of Commerce since last May 25.
In addition to Thematic Suites, other hotels appear in the document such as Teka Suite 72, also located in Laureles, 7 floors.
Reports income of 318 million pesos and as owner A company called Teka Suite SAS appears, represented by Estefanía Corrales Saldarriaga.
The telephone number that appears in the commercial registry of Teka Suite coincides with that of two other hotels in the list of establishments in which precautionary measures from the Prosecutor’s Office were registered: Star Suite, in which another woman identified as Sandra Surley Corrales appears as the owner, who reports 148 million pesos in income; and Amatista Suite, in which José Manuel Villa Corrales appears as the owner and registers 142 million in revenue.
READ ALSO
EL TIEMPO called and sent messages to that phone number to inquire about the relationship between the three establishments, but at the close of this edition they had not responded.
‘I don’t own it’
The Spazios Suite hotel in Medellín. Photo:Social networks
The list also includes Residencias Milano, in the La Candelaria sector in Medellín, linked to Danilo Vargas Corrales. From that location they told EL TIEMPO that the Prosecutor’s Office did not explain why they seized the hotel.
And Kuboz Suite, which reports 7,812 million pesos. In that establishment it appears as owner a company called Gómez y Corrales.
There is also Spazios Suite, by Nancy Puerta de Corrales and Residencias Habitat 49, by Ana Manuela Lobo Corrales.
In addition, Element Cinco Suite, which reports income of 351 million pesos and It is linked to Emerson David Corrales Puerta.
The Spa Suite hotel is also on the list, in which a Venezuelan citizen identified as Samuel Molina Arredondo appears in commercial records as the owner.
READ ALSO
When EL TIEMPO called him to consult him about the seizure, he assured: “I don’t own anything.” And he stated thatHe would consult with his boss if he could give statements on the subject.
EL TIEMPO communicated with all the other telephone subscribers of the hotels to whom precautionary measures were imposed, but at the time of going to press they had not responded.
The assets were at the disposal of the Special Assets Company (SAE), while the domain forfeiture process progresses.
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
u.investigativa@eltiempo.com
@UinvestigativaET
Follow us now on Facebook
