Last week, the Abu Dhabi-based global holding company’s offer to buy Nutresa shares was declared invalid after it failed to obtain the minimum number of shares. The bidding process raised legal challenges from Nutresa’s two major shareholders, investment firm Grupo Sura and industrial conglomerate Grupo Argos, who refused to sell their shares, as well as Grupo Gilinski.
The office said in a statement issued late Thursday that the public prosecutor’s office had received two criminal complaints related to a civil lawsuit brought by Grupo Sora and Grupo Argos, “which could constitute acts of judicial corruption.”
The statement added that “immediately upon learning of the situation, its complexity, and the seriousness of the facts, the Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered an investigation through the Specialized Anti-Corruption Directorate.”
Before finalizing the takeover offer, the Columbia Corporate Oversight Authority, which is responsible for corporate inspection and oversight duties, ordered two members of Grupo Sura’s board of directors not to participate in decisions related to the sale of IHC, after which the two directors resigned.
Since November 2021, Nutresa has been the target of a series of hostile bids from Grupo Gilinski and IHC.
Argos, Sura and Nutresa, together with other Colombian companies, make up Grupo Empresarial Antioqueno (GEA), the largest conglomerate in the South American country.