Police recapture former Colombian senator after brazen jailbreak

A fugitive who escaped from authorities during a dental appointment has been found in Venezuela after several months on the run.

A former politician in Colombia who was jailed for buying votes and later executed a brazen jailbreak during a dental appointment was captured on Monday in Venezuela after several months on the run.

Aida Merlano, 43, was arrested in the Venezuelan city of Maracaibo in the northwestern state of Zulia “after arduous investigations”, Miguel Domínguez, who heads Venezuela’s Special Action Force (FAES), announced on Instagram.

The former senator was serving a 15-year sentence for buying votes in the 2018 parliamentary election and for possession of an illegal firearm at the time of her brazen escape last October from an orthodontist practice in the Colombian capital city of Bogota.

A prison guard had escorted Merlano to the appointment but was given the slip when the doctor suggested the guard wait outside in the waiting room.

Video footage from the Colombian National Penitentiary and Prison Institute shows rope hanging from the building as Merlano climbs down and gets on a waiting motorcycle as she is handed a helmet.

The escape appeared to be an embarrassment for the nation’s prison system, with local media reporting shortly after that General William Ruiz was fired as director of the Colombian National Penitentiary and Prison Institute.

Merlano’s Facebook page is filled with messages of support for the politician. Picture: Facebook

Mr Domínguez posted a photo of Merlano following her capture. He said the fugitive former politician, who entered the country illegally, would be handed over to the Venezuelan prosecutor’s office.

It was unclear whether Merlano would be extradited back to Colombia amid tense relations between the two countries.

Colombian President Iván Duque rejected dictator Nicolás Maduro’s re-election last year as invalid, recognising Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó as the country’s legitimate leader. Mr Duque has shown Mr Guaidó renewed support, having welcomed him to Colombia last week.

– Fox News’ Travis Fedschun contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Fox News and was reproduced with permission