Former governor pleads not guilty to death squad deals
Former governor pleads not guilty to death squad deals
Jan 20, 2015 posted by Rebecca Florey
A former governor and presidential primary candidate for Colombia’s conservative opposition on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to charges regarding his alleged political deals with paramilitary groups for political gain. The former governor of Antioquia and Democratic Center candidate Luis Alfredo Ramos pleaded not guilty on the first day of his trial. Ramos was arrested in August 2013, accused of having ties to paramilitary organization AUC and making financial deals with the group.
The initial accusations against the former Conservative Party politician came from two former paramilitaries; Freddy Rendon, or “El Aleman,” and Juan Carlos Sierra, also known as “El Tuso.” Both have testified that Ramos met with paramilitary leaders in January 2005 when Ramos was a senator.
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The former Antioquia governor is one of many (former) national politicians in trouble with the law for their alleged use of death squads to secure elections, particularly in 2002 and 2006.
More than 45 congressmen and seven governors have been convicted for their use of paramilitary intimidation to get elected into office. Some 140 more former congressmen have pending investigations against them. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, more than 11,000 politicians, officials and businessmen are suspected of having made pacts with the now-defunct AUC.
http://colombiareports.co/former-governor-pleads-not-guilty-death-squad-deals/
