A Colombian anti-terrorism prosecutor jailed 11 politicians from the department of Cordoba on Thursday for their alleged connections with the paramilitary Elmer Cardenas Bloc of the AUC.
The defendants were accused of being a part of the “Pacto de Marisco” with former paramilitary commander Fredy Rendon Herrera, alias “El Aleman,” who sought to gain political influence in the region.
Among those detained, Alfredo Fidalgo Arrieta and Juan Antonio Jabib Flores were accused of conspiracy to commit aggravated homicide against mayoral candidate Saul Perez Diaz in 2003.
All of the defendants, which include former mayors, deputies and councilors, are accused of aggravated conspiracy and are being detained at the La Picota prison in Bogota with the exception of one, who is under house arrest due to her status as the female head of her household.