Colombia’s former president Alvaro Uribe has spoken out once more in support of his former Chief of Staff Bernardo Moreno, this time calling Moreno a political prisoner.
The ex-president made the statements in a passionate defense of his imprisoned former staff member in Moreno’s home town of Armenia in central Colombia.
Uribe called Moreno “a great friend, who accompanied me for eight years during the presidency, a completely clean man who is in prison today because of political persecution.” Uribe affirmed that he would continue defending Moreno “with a lot of pain, but at the same time with joy.”
Uribe’s former chief of staff was sent to prison July 30 for his alleged role in the illegal wiretapping by Colombian intelligence agency DAS of supreme court judges, political opponents, human rights activists and journalists.
Moreno was sent to jail after wiretap victims appealed the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the former chief of staff to await trial at liberty.