Paramilitary's Claim a Rare, Direct Accusation Against Uribe
Monday, 14 May 2012 11:32
Paramilitary's Claim a Rare, Direct Accusation Against Uribe
Written by Elyssa Pachico
In an interview with a Colombian radio station, paramilitary warlord Salvatore Mancuso said that he had personally met with ex-President Alvaro Uribe, but declined to give further details. The question now is whether Mancuso's version of the truth can be corroborated.
On May 11, Mancuso (pictured) remarked to Caracol Radio, "Yes, I met with Alvaro Uribe, but I prefer not to give any details about it." He also said that he donated money to Uribe's re-election campaign in 2006, which was used to purchase advertising, food, and transportation.
InSight Crime Analysis
This is among the most explicit testimony that Uribe had face-to-face interaction with paramilitary group the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), implicating him directly in paramilitary activity. Many other former AUC warlords -- Mancuso included -- have testified that many of Uribe's associates like his younger brother, his vice president, his intelligence chief, and chief of staff met repeatedly with paramilitary groups.
But while many of Uribe's closest political allies have been accused of (or in the case of his cousin Mario, imprisoned for) paramilitary ties, allegations that directly implicate Uribe himself are more unusual. The most prominent case involved a former paramilitary fighter, Francisco Enrique Villalba Hernández, who said that Uribe personally thanked the perpetrators of a massacre that took place in 1997. Villalba's testimony was filled with inconsistencies, but when he was assassinated in 2009, this helped feed the perception that powerful interests wanted him silenced.
More:
http://www.insightcrime.org/insight-latest-news/item/2627-paramilitarys-claim-a-rare-direct-accusation-against-uribe
