Colombia Reports

Colombia's Supreme Court demands the Prosecutor General's Office to show results fast in the investigation of the country's intelligence service DAS that is accused of illegally wiretapping court magistrates, media bosses and opposition politicians.

Supreme Court president Francisco Javier Ricaurte told the press Monday the court already had denounced teh bugging of phonecalls six weeks ago.

"We categorally condemn tehse criminal actions that threaten the independence of the Supreme Court, hinder the normal performance of its judges' duties and undermine the free expression of the exercise of teh findamental rights of Colombians," Ricaurte said.

The Supreme Court considers the wiretapping by the intelligence service "an attack against democracy and the freedom of opinion" and demands that Prosecutor General Mario Iguarán comes up with "fast" and "concrete" results that can lead to the prosecution of those involved in the illegal wiretapping.

The DAS has come under fire after officials of the intelligence service told weekly Semana the service had been wiretapping opposition politicians, critical media bosses and judges involved in the investigation of congressmen involved with paramilitary death squads.

Even though those under the secret and illegal investigation of the intelligence service could be described as opponents of the current administration, President Álvaro Uribe accuses the mafia of having infiltrated the DAS to conduct the illegal wiretaps.

It is not the first time the DAS is involved in a scandal. The former director was forced to leave office less than half a year ago after the service was spying on opposition senator Gustavo Petro. Her predecessor is currently in jail for alleged ties to paramilitaries.

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