Colombia’s Inspector General said his office had carried out a raid at the country’s army command on Wednesday as part of an investigation into reported illegal spying practices.
Inspector General Fernando Carrillo told Congress he had ordered the raid as he, the prosecution and the Supreme Court are investigating the latest spying scandal in which American equipment reportedly was used to, among others, spy on American journalists.
Inspector General Fernando Carrillo
The opposition grilled Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo during the debate over his response, or lack thereof, to the army’s alleged spying on journalists, politicians and government officials in 2019 when retired General Nicacio Martinez was in command.
Trujillo knew about the alleged spying practices after weekly Semana reported on them first in January, but didn’t take action until the magazine last week reported the army had even been “profiling” the former chief of staff of President Ivan Duque.
Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo
The virtual debate triggered clashes with the far-right Democratic Center party of President Ivan Duque after opposition Senators Ivan Cepeda (Democratic Pole) pointed out that, some of this classified information was reportedly sent to the ruling party.
Cepeda, Senator Roy Barreras (U Party) and Senator Antonio Sanguino (Green Alliance), asked international organizations to intervene, according to the Democratic Pole senator.
Senator Ivan Cepeda
Cepeda and Barreras had already sought help in Washington DC after the initial reports on the army’s alleged criminal activity, both with the US Congress and Human Rights Watch.
The latest spying scandal resembles that of the DAS wiretapping scandal that was exposed in 2009 when the political patron of President Ivan Duque, former President Alvaro Uribe, was in office.
This scandal ultimately led to the incarceration of Uribe’s spy chief and two of his presidential aides.