Nine politicians, including three former mayors, are arrested for alleged links to paramilitaries in northwest Colombia, Colombian media reported Wednesday.
Three former mayors, one former deputy, one demobilized paramilitary fighter, one councilor, a candidate for the assembly of the department of Cordoba, and two former municipality officials were arrested for links to the AUC paramilitary group and for being part of the “Pacto de Marisco” with the former paramilitary leader Fredy Rendon Herrera, alias “El Aleman.”
The operation by the Technical Investigation Team of the Prosecutor General’s Office was carried out in the municipalities of Monteria, Canalete, Moñitos, Los Cordobas, in the Cordoba department and Arboletes in the Antioquia department.
The alleged para-politicians will be transferred to Bogota. They will be placed before a prosecutor of the national anti-terrorism unit, the judicial authority which ordered the arrest warrants.
According to Caracol Radio, many of those captured were candidates for political posts in the upcoming October 30 elections.
Operations to detain other political leaders are continuing in the Uraba regions of the departments of Choco and Antioquia and in the coastal region of Cordoba.