A fugitive Army lieutenant was found not guilty of conspiring to assassinate presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan, who was murdered in 1989.
Lieutenant Carlos Humberto Florez was accused by a witness, just two months after the assassination, of being a key coordinator in the plot to murder the candidate .
Although Florez has been identified as a member of the network of Jose Gonzalez Rodriguez Gacha, a drug lord implicated in the murder, the court found there was not enough evidence to prove that Florez helped plan the attack or was present when it took place.
The court determined that the witness accused Florez because of his involvement in the crime syndicate, and not because of the witness’ actual knowledge of his participation in the murder.
The announcement, made exactly 22 years after Galan’s death, shocked family members who were attending a memorial service for him at the Cemeterio Central. The family’s lawyer plans to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
Florez has been convicted of two other murders but has evaded capture.