Colombia’s National Police has ordered a scrutiny of all former commanders of the police departments of the Antioquia department and its capital Medellin, Noticias Uno reported Sunday.
The investigation follows the guilty plea of Mauricio Santoyo, the former security chief of former President Alvaro Uribe and once a top official in Antioquia when the former president was governor of that department.
According to television news program Noticias Uno, the National Police ordered a scrutiny of all Medellin and Antioquia commanders since 1995, when Uribe took office as the department’s governor.
At the same time, the police ordered to investigate the behavior of police commanders during the demobilization talks with paramilitary organization AUC after reports that Santoyo’s brother, security chief of the now-fugitive former peace commissioner made suspicious visits to paramilitary camps.
Several media have reported that The United States is investigating three police generals and one army general for ties to the AUC, a terrorist organization according to the State Department. All investigated police and military officials once were commanders of the police departments of Medellin or Antioquia.