Colombia tries to shake 'dark side'

[Judi Lynn]

Colombia tries to shake 'dark side'

Ties to paramilitary groups dog Legislature, could undermine president's success.

By Tyler Bridges
McClatchy Newspapers

Published on: 07/13/08

Bogota, Colombia —- A one-time guerrilla-turned-senator stood up in Colombia's Congress six years ago and accused prominent colleagues of having political alliances with right-wing hit squads.

Sen. Gustavo Petro's accusations seemed to gain little traction given his controversial past as a member of a now-defunct Colombian guerrilla group called M-19.

But Petro began receiving anonymous packages that linked more members of Congress to the paramilitary groups. He denounced other congressmen. Others undertook their own investigations. In time, prosecutors began pursuing the cases aggressively.

Today, 33 members of Congress —- about 10 percent of Colombia's House and Senate —- are in prison for colluding with paramilitary groups that terrorize rural areas and control profitable cocaine-trafficking routes. An additional 10 percent are under investigation, including the Senate president, and more cases are being added every month.

The congressmen have been convicted or accused of taking payoffs from paramilitary leaders, having the paramilitaries finance their campaigns or having plotted with paramilitaries to kill political rivals.

The scandal exposes the ugly underbelly of a nation that's been basking in the triumph of last week's audacious rescue of 15 hostages held by Colombia's oldest guerrilla group.

The extent of the corruption has wide implications, as it threatens to undermine the stunning success of President Alvaro Uribe, the Bush administration's strongest ally in Latin America. Nearly every tainted member of Congress has been a strong supporter of Uribe, including the president's closest political friend, his cousin Mario.

"It is most certainly the dark side of his presidency and an inevitable part of his legacy, even if it is glossed over or ignored altogether by his most fervent supporters now," said Bruce Bagley, the chairman of the University of Miami's international studies department. "I believe it still may come back to haunt him in the next 12 months or so."

More:
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/printedition/2008/07/13/uribe.html