Prosecutor's office seizes singer Charlie Zaa's assets over paramilitary links

Colombian authorities have seized four properties valued at more than $14.1 million, reportedly belonging to renowned bolero singer Charlie Zaa. The Attorney General's Office announced the seizure as part of an ongoing investigation into whether the assets were acquired using funds from the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), a paramilitary group. The targeted properties include a shopping center, two nightclubs, and a hotel located in the Cundinamarca and Tolima regions.

Prosecutors allege that a former AUC commander, identified as Diego José Martínez Goyeneche, alias Daniel, may have used third parties to invest in real estate and move money in an attempt to conceal the illicit origins of these funds. The investigation reportedly began in July 2025, stemming from testimony provided by former AUC members. These individuals allegedly identified Zaa as the "visible face" of assets linked to alias Daniel, who died in 2009. The AUC's Bloque Tolima, active between 1998 and 2005, has been implicated in numerous atrocities, including massacres, killings, and forced disappearances.

Charlie Zaa, whose real name is Carlos Alberto Sánchez Ramírez, achieved fame in the late 1990s with hit albums like 'Sentimientos' and 'Un segundo sentimiento.' He has previously rejected the accusations, maintaining his innocence and emphasizing that his wealth is the result of over three decades of "honest and constant work." The singer has expressed his willingness to cooperate with authorities to prove his legitimacy.

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all my assets are the result of honest and constant work