Chief Colombia negotiator set to testify in peace talks hacking investigation

The Prosecutor General’s office has set the date for the questioning of the Colombian government’s head  negotiator as part of the investigation in the peace talks wiretapping case, according to El Espectador newspaper.

The announcement of the hearings, scheduled for November 3, comes just weeks after chief negotiator Humberto de la Calle denounced various instances of alleged hacking of his personal correspondence while participating in the peace negotiations with the FARC rebel group in Havana, Cuba.

In a press conference, De la Calle strongly rejected such practices as a strategy to damage the current course of peace negotiations and “sabotage the process.” He also expressed his regret that such things occur while “the transparency with which the government delegation has handled the information related to the talks is undeniable.”

Following the revelations of the alleged hacking, the authorities strengthened security protocols on computers of the official governmental delegation in Havana.

MORE: Colombia to increase peace talks cyber security after new attack

A special group from the Technical Investigation Team (CTI) within the Prosecutor General’s office is responsible for conducting the investigation and gathering evidence. These investigators seek to determine how De la Calle learned that his correspondence had been intercepted.

Within the coming days, it is expected that substantive steps will be taken to determine who was behind hacking.

Prosecutor General Eduardo Montealegre refused to rule out the possibility that members of the military intelligence were involved in the alleged spying operations.

Sources

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