Colombia’s chief prosecutor on Thursday requested that the Supreme Court investigate eight army generals in relation to the ongoing investigations about corruption within the armed forces.
The Prosecutor General’s Office has requested an inquiry into whether the generals are implicated in corruption and illegal arms trafficking networks allegedly run by Colonel Gonzalez del Rio who is currently in prison for his involvement in the extrajudicial killing of civilians to inflate the army’s apparent effectiveness.
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The officers in question were mentioned in a series of recordings which were intercepted between Del Rio and other members of the Armed Forces which relate to arms trafficking, a charge which has already seen 15 army officials jailed.
Having studied the recordings, the Prosecutor General’s Office decided the eight men merited further investigation as to their involvement in reports of embezzlement, arms trafficking and forced coercion.
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The investigation will initially focus on those within the Army who sold weapons to the criminal gang, “Los Urabeños” among other armed groups.
Items have been seized from the homes of the accused and will submitted as evidence to the Supreme Court next week.