Jailed prosecutors have testified that Colombia’s former chief prosecutor personally ordered the wiretapping of peace negotiators and facilitators, according to weekly Semana.
In his weekly column, journalist Daniel Coronell published parts of the testimonies of former prosecutor Fabio Martinez and former wiretapping chief Luis Carlos Gomez.
Gomez was convicted for illegal spying in June for wiretapping illegally for an illegal spying ring made up largely of former security and intelligence officials.
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Both prosecutors testified that former Prosecutor General Nestor Humberto Martinez ordered the illegal wiretapping of the government’s chief peace negotiator Humberto de la Calle after taking office in 2016.
Alleged victims of illegal wiretapping
Martinez, a controversial critic of the peace process, resigned in May after the war crimes tribunal ordered investigations against him and DEA agents over alleged misconduct.
The former chief prosecutor told Coronell the claims by his former subordinates are “absolutely false and criminal.”
The illegal wiretapping claims were confirmed by active prosecution officials who told newspaper La Prensa in May that Martinez had ordered the illegal wiretapping of courts, journalists and human rights defenders.
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A court ordered Inspector General officials to raid the Prosecutor General’s Office in what appeared to be illegal wiretapping investigations related to the latter case.
The man allegedly coordinating the illegal wiretapping practices, acting vice-Prosecutor General Jaime Camacho, refused to allow the investigators to confiscate evidence in this raid, according to newspaper El Espectador.
Former prosecutor Fabio Martinez
In the case of De La Calle and the facilitators, a prosecutor in Medellin included the victims’ numbers in investigations into paramilitary group AGC to conceal the illegality of the wiretaps, according to the witnesses.
The legal pressure on Martinez over his alleged abuse of power is growing as he is mentioned in multiple cases in multiple courts by multiple former subordinates.