Colombia’s Prosecutor General officially called to trial on Monday five former DAS officials for their alleged roles in the illegal wiretapping scandal, reports W Radio.
Speaking before the country’s Supreme Court, a prosecutor assigned to the case read the formal charges, which include abuse of public office and aggravated unlawful violation of communications, amongst others, to the five defendents.
The five defendants in the trail, whose start date is expected to be announced within a few days, are Fernando Tabares Molina, Jorge Alberto Lagos Leon, Luz Marina Rodriguez Cardenas, Gustavo Sierra, and Bernardo Murillo.
These five individuals, who were all arrested in early and mid April, are just a few of the many DAS officials who have been implicated in the scandal of illegally wiretapping Colombian journalists, human rights activists, politicians, and judges, in addition to foreign NGOs and governments.
Last week, DAS’s current director, Felipe Muñoz, said that he will recommend that the scandal-plagued security agency be fully dismantled.
Also last week, it was revealed that DAS has been using illegal wiretaps and surveillance since 1971, according to former DAS director Carlos Arzayus, who appeared before the Supreme Court on Tuesday.