Colombia’s war crimes tribunal JEP allowed the submission of former paramilitary commander Salvatore Mancuso to the transitional justice system.
Mancuso will be tried by the transitional justice system for his role as a “hinge or a point of connection between the paramilitaries and the public force,” the JEP said in a statement.
The former warlord will have to continue to cooperate with “Justice and Peace,” the transitional justice system dedicated to investigating crimes committed by the now-defunct paramilitary organization AUC.
At the same time, Mancuso will be working with the government to dismantle paramilitary groups that were formed by former AUC members after their demobilization.
Colombia grants conditional liberty to former paramilitary boss
In its ruling, the JEP also ordered the Prosecutor General’s Office to investigate alleged AUC collaborators who were exposed by the former warlord during the preliminary hearings.
Among these suspects is General Leonardo Barrero, the former commander of the armed forces, who was on the AUC’s payroll, according to Mancuso.
The former AUC commander additionally incriminated major corporations like Postobon and Bavaria, as well as state-run oil company Ecopetrol.
Last but not least, Mancuso told the JEP that the AUC supported the election campaigns of former Presidents Andres Pastrana and Alvaro Uribe.
The JEP investigations are meant to bring justice to as many of Colombia’s 9 million conflict victims as possible.
Alleged war criminals who submitted to the war crimes tribunal will be allowed to serve alternative sentences if they fully cooperate with the transitional justice system.