Colombia Probes Vice President Over Militia Ties

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

Colombia Probes Vice President Over Militia Ties
By Patrick Markey
October 19, 2009

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian prosecutors have reopened a probe into Vice President Francisco Santos over charges by a former paramilitary boss that he had sought to organize outlawed militias, an investigator said on Monday.

The attorney general opened an initial investigation into Santos in 2007 after a former warlord Salvatore Mancuso testified Santos had proposed in the late 1990s creating a paramilitary group to tackle rebels fighting around Bogota.

That probe was suspended for lack of evidence. But prosecutors reopened the investigation into Santos' suspected ties to militia bosses, extradited to the United States on drug trafficking charges, to put to rest any lingering suspicions.

"It has been decided to continue with the initial investigation to clear up any doubts," acting Attorney General Guillermo Mendoza told local W Radio.

Santos, a former newspaper columnist, said he was open to cooperating in a "swift and efficient" investigation. But he urged that the probe not be abused politically to tarnish the government's image.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=8864384

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http://cache.daylife.com.nyud.net:8090/imageserve/03L96KI00Bh2x/610x.jpg

Francisco Santos is the one pouting on the left, President
Álvaro Uribe, center, and Defense Secretary, Juan Manuel
Santos. The two Santos are cousins.

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

1. It will be interesting to see if anything comes of this.

I hophe there's some sincerity behind this move. I've been skeptical of Colombia's efforts to crack down on Right militias thus far, though some moves have been made in a positive direction.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Paramilitary Ties to Elite In Colombia Are Detailed

Paramilitary Ties to Elite In Colombia Are Detailed
Commanders Cite State Complicity in Violent Movement

By Juan Forero
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, May 22, 2007

MEDELLIN, Colombia -- Top paramilitary commanders have in recent days confirmed what human rights groups and others have long alleged: Some of Colombia's most influential political, military and business figures helped build a powerful anti-guerrilla movement that operated with impunity, killed civilians and shipped cocaine to U.S. cities.

The commanders have named army generals, entrepreneurs, foreign companies and politicians who not only bankrolled paramilitary operations but also worked hand in hand with fighters to carry them out. In accounts that are at odds with those of the government, the commanders have said their organization, rather than simply sprouting up to fill a void in lawless regions of the country, had been systematically built with the help of bigger forces.

"Paramilitarism was state policy," Salvatore Mancuso, a top paramilitary commander, said last week at a hearing in this city's Palace of Justice. "I am proof positive of state paramilitarism in Colombia."

In a scandal that began to gain momentum last fall, investigators have revealed dozens of cases of government collaboration with paramilitary groups. But Mancuso's testimony, buttressed with remarks made in a jailhouse interview by another top paramilitary commander, represents the first time that major players in the scandal have described in detail how the establishment joined forces with them.

Dozens of other top commanders are scheduled to testify before special judicial hearings in the coming days and weeks. Their testimony could help uncover the roots of the violence and drug trafficking that have plagued this country and commanded significant aid from Washington.

More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/21/AR2007052101672.html