Extradited paramilitary commander denies links to ex-senator

"Don Berna" (Photo: El Colombiano)

An extradited paramilitary warlord denied on Tuesday any links to a Colombian ex-senator who is being investigated for her alleged ties to paramilitary organization AUC.

Diego Fernando Murillo, alias “Don Berna,” a former commander of the paramilitary umbrella organization AUC extradited to the United States on charges of drug trafficking, told prosecutors he did not know the ex-congresswoman and that he had never even met her.

According to various testimonies from other demobilized paramilitaries, Dilian Francisca Toro asked AUC units operating in Valle del Cauca for support ahead of important elections.

This is not the first time Toro has been accused of ties to organized crime. According to prosecutors, documents and testimonies  indicated it was “highly probable” that Toro bought several houses in 2005 belonging to high-ranking members of the now-defunct Cali Cartel as well as property belonging to a now-extradited drug trafficker.

However, in October 2012, a former member of the Cali Cartel said he only knew Toro from television and never maintained any commercial relationship with the former senator.

MORE: Cali Cartel Underboss Denies Links To Former Senator

Sources

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