The trial of ex-President Alvaro Uribe’s former secretary for his involvement in the illegal wiretapping of Supreme Court justices, journalists, human rights workers and opposition politicians resumed Monday.
BACKGROUND: Colombia’s Dirty War: ‘Chuzadas’ and the future of the DAS
The trial marks the first return to court for the former chief of staff Bernardo Moreno Villegas since March 13, when he was freed by Bogota’s Superior Tribunal, who no longer considered him to pose any danger to the development of the case.
MORE: Uribe aide jailed over wiretap scandal to be released
Also charged in the case is the former director of Colombia’s now-defunct intelligence agency (DAS), Maria del Pilar Hurtado. Both are facing charges of conspiracy to commit crime, illegal data interception and abuse of office due to alleged involvement in the “chuzadas” scandal that engulfed Colombia’s DAS intelligence service, which engaged in illegal wiretapping.
At the reopening of the case on Monday, Ancizar Barrios of the Technical Investigations Unit (CTI) revealed a report that was allegedly illegally intercepted by del Pilar, detailing a meeting between extradited ex-paramilitary leader Diego Fernando Murillo, alias “Don Berna,” and ex-Judge Ivan Velasquez over the former’s testimony against now absolved senator Luis Fernando Velasco.
Barrios stated before the Supreme Court on Monday that the document reveals a report of the meeting where “an agreement for [the] collaboration [of Don Berna] with the Supreme Court over the supply of information of political leaders linked with [now-defunct paramilitary group] the AUC.”
According to Barrios, the principal motivation for the meeting was to discuss the case of former Senator Luis Fernando Velasco, who at the time was faced with a penal process for alleged links with paramilitaries.
Sources
- Corte Suprema reanuda juicio por escándalo de las ‘chuzadas’ (Caracol Radio)
- Revelaron supuesta reunión entre alias Don Berna y magistrado Velásquez (El Colombiano)
- ‘Don Berna’ y exmagistrado habrían acordado qué declarar en proceso por ‘parapolítica’ (Caracol Radio)
- Bernardo Moreno, en libertad por no representar peligro para la sociedad (Blu Radio)
