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A Colombian court ordered on Thursday the confiscation of a house belonging to Colombian football legend René Higuita, after concluding that money from the drug trafficking organization of Pablo Escobar was used to purchase the property.

Higuita, the former Colombian national team goalkeeper famous for the 'scorpion kick' save, had bought the house located in an upscale neighborhood of Medellín in 1992.

The public prosecutor's office stated that investigations revealed 'maneuvers' and forgery of signatures aimed at 'hiding the true source' of the money used in the sale.

It added that the property passed through a series of consecutive sales before eventually being registered in Higuita's name, one year before the killing of drug lord Pablo Escobar.

A 12-year investigation concluded that the property was initially bought by a person acting as a front for the brothers William and Gerardo Moncada, members of the Escobar cartel, who were later killed in prison on Escobar's orders.

Higuita responded to the decision, telling Blu Radio in Bogotá: 'It's just pure coincidence, and I consider myself a victim of these events.'

Higuita

Higuita has appealed the ruling and will be allowed to keep the house until the appeal is decided.

Higuita, nicknamed 'El Loco' (The Madman), became famous for the 'scorpion kick' save first performed during Colombia's match against England in 1995, when he cleared the ball by kicking it with his heels behind his back, a move that became one of football's most iconic moments.

Higuita's name has also been linked on several occasions to the drug trafficking world. He was arrested in 1993 after visiting Pablo Escobar in prison, and was also investigated for his role as a mediator in the release of the kidnapped daughter of a drug trafficker.

He had received an illegal sum of money for that mediation, but the charges against him were later dropped.

Higuita said: 'Since then, they started calling me Pablo Escobar's friend, and you can't imagine how many problems that caused for me.'

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