Colombia’s national prison authority (INPEC) on Monday denied responsibility for the escape from house arrest of the former leader of Medellin paramilitary group the “Office of Envigado,” Daniel Alejandro Serna, alias “Kener.”
INPEC director Carlos Barragan said the prison authority was not responsible for prisoners under house arrest and that it did not agree with electronic tagging of “dangerous” prisoners such as Kener.
Barragan blamed the Medellin prosecutor who sentenced Kener to house arrest for the escape. The director said INPEC had warned the prosecutor that Kener was not a suitable candidate for house arrest.
Kener escaped Sunday night when men dressed as INPEC officials came to collect him, claiming that he was to be transferred. He was reported missing at midnight on Sunday.
The paramilitary leader was reportedly placed under house arrest in his Medellin home because he suffered from intestine and kidney problems, as the result of a wound he received in his paramilitary days.
Authorities are combing Medellin for the fugitive and have offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
Kener was arrested in 2008. He is linked to former drug kingpins Daniel “Don Mario” Rendon Herrera and Diego “Don Berna” Murillo Bejarano.
INPEC came under fire less than two weeks ago, after two ex-paramilitary prisoners escaped from Bogota’s La Picota jail.