‘Uribe must speak out on wiretap scandal’

Former President Alvaro Uribe must speak out on whether he ordered the illegal wiretapping of Supreme Court judges, politicians, journalists and human rights workers now that the Inspector General convicted four intelligence executives and Uribe’s personal secretary for their role in the scandal, says Green Party president Luis Eduardo Garzon.

“That is the one million dollar question. One can not have four DAS directors, the Secretary General of the Presidency, some very important officials like those who are in charge of fiscal investigations, and (pretend) nothing happened. This clearly happened behind the president’s back or happened with his blessing,” Garzon told newspaper El Espectador.

The Green Party president responded to the announcement of the country’s Inspector General that Berardo Moreno, Secretary General of the Presidency under Uribe, two directors of state intelligence agency DAS, two deputy directors of the DAS and the financial intelligence chief all were barred to hold public office for 18 and 20 years for the ordering of the illegal wiretapping.

The country’s Prosecutor General is currently doing a criminal investigation into those involved in the scandal.

Uribe has always insisted he knew nothing about the illegal wiretapping of opponents.

Following the scandal, the former President announced the dismantling of the DAS and the United States Congress prohibited any U.S. financial aid to end up at the DAS or its successor.

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