US investigating Colombian stockbrokers for money laundering

Colombian stockbrokers have come under investigation for suspected complicity in an international money laundering scheme between the United States and Colombia, Caracol Radio reported.

U.S. Prosecutors filed investigations into a scheme that adds another chapter to the saga that shook Colombia’s financial world with scandal in late 2012.

The scandal erupting from the fall of InterBolsa, Colombia’s largest brokerage firm, came into view after inquiries into the reason for its liquidation revealed potentially criminal actions involving top government officials.

In 2011, 22 people were captured by U.S. and Colombian officials in an operation called ‘Ice and Fire’. The suspects were found guilty for laundering some $480 million dollars in connection with narco-trafficking purposes.

According to local media, that activity could be found to involve the implication of several Colombian stock brokers who participate in companies closely associated with Interbolsa.

Caracol radio reported that it had called several financial brokerage firms for comment. Many declined to answer or comment given the potential negative impact associated with a scandal that is still under investigation.