Bernardo Miguel Elías Vidal, «el Ñoño», was a senator for the Partido de la U and the great vote-getter of Córdoba. He is one of the politicians with the most final convictions in this series: three, none overturned. However, this piece does not follow the sentences, but the money. It reconstructs what he charged Odebrecht for arranging the Ocaña-Gamarra section and how much the Supreme Court set as his fine. It also explains what contract he obtained for a friend in the Fonade case and why he has been free since 2024. The analysis by fronts is in Elías’s case file at Auditoría Abierta.
The short answer. Ñoño Elías’s money has precise figures in the rulings. He charged Odebrecht a 2 % commission for securing the addition of the Ocaña-Gamarra section without a tender. It came to some 1,600 million pesos between 2012 and 2014, according to the Procuraduría. In 2021 the Supreme Court imposed a fine of 15,008 minimum monthly wages, some 13,600 million. He has three final convictions adding up to more than 17 years. However, he served them on an accumulated basis and has been free since 10 September 2024. He lost his seat for life and is disqualified for 12 years.
Who Ñoño Elías is and why his case matters in October 2026
Elías was Odebrecht’s man in the Colombian Congress, according to the testimony of Otto Bula and of the construction company’s executives. From the Senate’s Third Committee he pressured the National Infrastructure Agency and the ministries of Finance and Transport. On 10 August 2017, the Supreme Court ordered his detention.
His case matters for this series for two reasons. It is the file with the sharpest money figures: a percentage, an amount received and a fine. And it is the one that best shows Colombian prison arithmetic: three convictions, just over six years actually served. To follow the decisions one by one, Bajo Lupa publishes its Elías case file.
Timeline of Elías’s money, decision by decision
| Date | Body | Decision | Evidence level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-2014 | Odebrecht and Elías | Payments of some 1,600 million pesos for arranging the addition of Ocaña-Gamarra and a legal stability contract | Proven (Procuraduría, 2022) |
| 2016-2017 | Elías and Musa Besaile | Arrange a supervision contract at Fonade for Richard Kamal Náder | Proven (Court, 2024) |
| 10 August 2017 | Supreme Court of Justice | Orders his detention over Odebrecht | Proven |
| 1 March 2018 | Supreme Court, early guilty plea | 6 years and 8 months for bribery and influence peddling | Final |
| 28 September 2018 | Council of State | Loss of seat over pressure in favour of Odebrecht | Upheld on 30 July 2019 |
| 5 August 2021 | Special First Instance Chamber, Supreme Court | 8 years and 4 months for conspiracy and laundering; fine of 15,008 minimum wages | Final |
| 28 July 2022 | Procuraduría | Dismissal and 12-year disqualification; puts the bribes at some 1,600 million | First instance, appealable |
| 7 July 2023 | Sentence enforcement judge | Release after serving four fifths of the 8-year sentence | Proven |
| 8 February 2024 | Special First Instance Chamber | 32 months over the Fonade case | Upheld on 17 July 2024 |
| 9 August 2024 | Supreme Court | Orders his arrest; held at La Vega prison in Sincelejo | Proven |
| 10 September 2024 | Sincelejo court | Conditional release: only 31 days remained because of the accumulation of sentences | Proven |
The 2 % of Ocaña-Gamarra: how much he charged and why
The Ocaña-Gamarra section was added to the Ruta del Sol II contract without a public tender. According to Semana, Elías agreed with Odebrecht a 2 % commission on the value of the works for securing it. The Procuraduría put a figure on the payments in its ruling of 28 July 2022, according to El Espectador. It came to some 1,600 million pesos received between 2012 and 2014. In exchange, Elías used his seat on the Senate’s Third Committee to influence the addition of the section. He also pushed for the signing of a legal stability contract with the construction company.
That money cost him his first conviction. On 1 March 2018, the Supreme Court sentenced him to 6 years and 8 months for bribery and influence peddling, according to El Tiempo. It was an early sentence after he accepted the charges. At the hearing he asked for the country’s «immense forgiveness», according to Semana. The Court later refused a request to halve the sentence. The intermediary who put him in touch with the construction company, Otto Bula, in turn acknowledged receiving some 4,500 million pesos from Odebrecht. The former director of the ANI, Luis Fernando Andrade, was sanctioned for meeting «surreptitiously» with Elías to make the section viable.
The 13,600 million fine: the second conviction
The first conviction did not cover the laundering of the money. In May 2021, after testifying as a witness at Andrade’s trial, Elías announced a second early guilty plea, according to El Espectador. He accepted having associated with Odebrecht executives, officials and private individuals between 2009 and 2016, according to El Tiempo. On 5 August 2021, the Special First Instance Chamber sentenced him to 8 years and 4 months, according to El País. The offences: aggravated conspiracy to commit a crime and money laundering.
Here the largest figure in the file appears. The Court imposed a fine of 15,008 minimum monthly wages, some 13,600 million pesos. It also ordered him to offer a public apology to the National Infrastructure Agency in a national newspaper. The fine exceeds the documented bribe more than eightfold. The sources consulted do not record how much of that sum he has paid.
Fonade: the contract for a friend
The third trail has no connection to Odebrecht. Between 2016 and 2017, Elías and fellow former senator Musa Besaile used their influence at the Financial Fund for Development Projects, Fonade, according to Cambio Colombia. The aim: to secure a supervision contract at that entity for a friend, Richard Kamal Náder Ordosgoitia. Fonade was the source of the so-called «mermelada», the indicative budget quotas distributed to the regions, according to Infobae.
On 8 February 2024, the Special First Instance Chamber sentenced him to 32 months, according to RTVC. The offences: influence peddling by a public servant and undue interest in the award of contracts. The Criminal Chamber upheld the conviction on 17 July 2024 and on 9 August ordered his arrest. In this case there is no quantified bribe in the sources; the benefit was the contract itself.
The arithmetic of freedom: why he is free
The three convictions add up to more than 17 years. Elías served just over six in prison. The explanation lies in the accumulation of sentences. He served the two Odebrecht sentences on an accumulated basis, first at La Picota and then at a battalion in Corozal, Sucre, according to El Colombiano. On 7 July 2023 he was released after serving four fifths of the 8-year sentence. His return to Sahagún was greeted by a crowd and a fire engine, according to Semana.
On 9 August 2024, police re-arrested him to serve the Fonade sentence. He entered La Vega prison in Sincelejo, according to El Heraldo. A court determined that this sentence was accumulated with the one already served and that only 31 days remained. It released him on 10 September 2024, according to Infobae. Musa Besaile, convicted in the same case, was transferred to a formal prison.
What he lost besides the money: seat and disqualification
On 28 September 2018, the Council of State ordered the loss of his seat together with that of former senator Plinio Olano, according to El Tiempo. It concluded that Elías «made representations and exerted pressure» before the ANI and the ministries to obtain the legal stability contract favourable to Odebrecht. On 30 July 2019 it upheld the decision and described the facts as «part of a vast web of corruption». The «political death» bars him for life from holding elected office. On 28 July 2022, the Procuraduría dismissed him and disqualified him for 12 years, according to El Espectador. Elías accepted responsibility in those proceedings.
What Elías says and what his accusers say
Elías accepted the charges in his three convictions and apologised publicly in 2018. He has not disputed the facts. The Supreme Court, the Council of State and the Procuraduría agree in describing him as Odebrecht’s political operator in Congress. His defence only disputed the length of the sentences, without success in the first conviction.
How to read this case file
Three keys. First: the figures are firm. The 2 %, the 1,600 million and the 13,600 million fine appear in rulings, not accusations. Second: freedom is neither impunity nor acquittal. Elías served his sentences under Colombia’s accumulation and remission rules. Third: the fine is the largest figure in the case and its actual collection is not on record. To compare with the intermediary who connected him to the construction company, Bajo Lupa Digital publishes the case file of Otto Bula in this same section.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How much money did Ñoño Elías receive from Odebrecht?
A 2 % commission on the value of the addition of the Ocaña-Gamarra section, according to Semana. The Procuraduría put the payments at some 1,600 million pesos between 2012 and 2014, in its ruling of 28 July 2022.
How much must Elías pay in fines?
15,008 minimum monthly wages, some 13,600 million pesos, set by the Supreme Court on 5 August 2021 in the conviction for conspiracy and money laundering. He also had to offer a public apology to the ANI. How much he has paid is not on record.
How many convictions does Ñoño Elías have?
Three, all final. Six years and eight months for bribery and influence peddling (2018). Eight years and four months for conspiracy and laundering (2021). And 32 months over the Fonade case (2024). None has been overturned.
Why is he free if the sentences add up to more than 17 years?
Because he served the sentences on an accumulated basis. He was released in July 2023 after serving four fifths of the eight-year sentence. He was re-arrested in August 2024 over Fonade, but a judge determined that only 31 days remained. He has been free since 10 September 2024.
What is the Fonade case?
Between 2016 and 2017, Elías and Musa Besaile used their influence at the Financial Fund for Development Projects. The aim was to secure a supervision contract for their friend Richard Kamal Náder. The Court sentenced him to 32 months on 8 February 2024. It has no connection to Odebrecht.
Can he run for office again?
No. The Council of State ordered the loss of his seat on 28 September 2018 and upheld it on 30 July 2019. That «political death» is for life. In addition, the Procuraduría disqualified him for 12 years in 2022.
What did Elías do to favour Odebrecht?
From the Senate’s Third Committee he pressured the ANI and the ministries of Finance, Transport and Planning, according to the Council of State. He sought to add the Ocaña-Gamarra section to Ruta del Sol II without a tender. He also pushed for a legal stability contract with the construction company.
Who connected him to Odebrecht?
Otto Bula, former senator and the construction company’s intermediary in Colombia, whose testimony was key to convicting him. Bula acknowledged receiving some 4,500 million pesos from Odebrecht. In 2020 he received a 66-month prison sentence.
Sources consulted
- Cambio Colombia: Quién es Bernardo Ñoño Elías, capturado por Fonade (2024)
- Infobae: El controvertido excongresista fue dejado en libertad (2024)
- RTVC Noticias: Ñoño Elías fue capturado en Sincelejo (2024)
- El Colombiano: Dan libertad condicional al Ñoño Elías por Fonade (2024)
- Semana: Primera condena al Ñoño Elías (2020)
- El Tiempo: Corte condena al Ñoño Elías a 6 años por Odebrecht (1 March 2018)
- El Espectador: Ñoño Elías condenado a ocho años (2021)
- El Tiempo: Corte dicta segunda condena contra Ñoño Elías (2021)
- El País (Colombia): Corte condena a ocho años y cuatro meses (5 August 2021)
- El Colombiano: Ñoño Elías queda en libertad tras condena por Odebrecht (2023)
- Semana: Ñoño Elías trasladado a la cárcel de Sincelejo (2024)
- El Heraldo: Detalles de su captura en Sincelejo por caso Fonade (2024)
- El Tiempo: Consejo de Estado decreta pérdida de investidura a Ñoño Elías y Plinio Olano (28 September 2018)
- El Tiempo: Ratifican pérdida de investidura de Ñoño Elías y Plinio Olano por Odebrecht (30 July 2019)
- El Colombiano: Ratifican muerte política de Ñoño Elías y Plinio Olano (2019)
- El Espectador: Inhabilitan por 12 años a exsenador Bernardo Elías por caso Odebrecht (28 July 2022)
- El Tiempo: Procuraduría destituye e inhabilita a Ñoño Elías por 12 años (2022)
- Wikipedia: Bernardo Elías
This piece records documented facts and allegations attributed to their authors. The mention of an allegation does not imply its truth, and the position of the person named is recorded in each case. Bajo Lupa Digital offers Bernardo Elías space to respond and will update the text with every development. Information verified as of 8 October 2026.
Investigative Journalist and Case File Analyst
Abati Preciado Ruelas is an investigative journalist specializing in the scrutiny of judicial proceedings, the coverage of regulatory frameworks, and the analysis of the administration of justice in Latin America. His career is distinguished by a firm commitment to institutional oversight, examining legal case files, court rulings, and public records to accurately document the exercise of power.
At Bajo Lupa Digital, he is part of the investigative team tasked with untangling legal controversies and high-impact political cases. His journalistic approach prioritizes analytical sobriety, rigorous respect for due process, and the exhaustive cross-referencing of primary sources, providing citizens with a documented perspective free from partisan biases.