Chairman of president Santos’ Partido de la U, former Senator Carlos Garcia Orjuela, was released from jail Wednesday after the Supreme Court absolved the politician of “parapolitics” charges.
Garcia, who stood accused of having had ties to the Tolima Bloc of the now officially demobilized paramilitary coalition AUC, was one of the most prominent allies of former President Alvaro Uribe to be tried for parapolitics.
According to Garcia’s defense attorney, his client was incriminated by demobilized members of the AUC who hoped to receive benefits if they linked politicians to the paramilitaries.