A former official from Colombia’s security agency DAS told magazine Semana that the results of illegal wire-tappings of Colombian judges, politicians, journalists and trade unionists were reported to President Alvaro Uribe’s personal secretary Bernardo Moreno and his judicial advisor Edmundo Del Castillo.
A former official from an analysis department alleges that he “received orders with the objective of working on issues that were sensitive for the government.”
“This began in 2007. For that year many efforts and resources were applied to control NGOS, opposition and some journalists, refocusing on parapolitics…The first thing, on instructions by the head of counter-intelligence, Capitan Lagos, was to know where they were going and who was mixed up in parapolitics,” the former official said.
“On the majority of occasions, this infomation, when processed, was handled by the people from intelligence or the department director. They decided which information should go to the Casa de Nariño,” the former official continued.
“I personally, following instructions, handed over data on those matters, like for example, the case of Mario Uribe, the secretary general, Moreno, the judicial advisor, Edmundo Del Castillo. If they haven’t disappeared from the [presidential] palace, then my entries should be registered,” the former official testified.
The presidency, via a press release, “emphatically rejects” the allegations published by Semana and reiterated that it had never ordered illegal activities to be conducted against Colombian citizens.
In the press release, the presidency requests that anyone who makes such allegations, provide concrete examples.
18 current officials and former DAS officials, and four former DAS directors, are under investigation for illegal wire-taps scandal.