Former DAS director Andres Peñate has testified that the fingerprint shown on the receipt of delivery of mafia money was not falsified, thus implicating navy admiral Gabriel Arango Bacci.
Arango Bacci is charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated crimes, disclosure of secrets, bribery, and malfeasance by default, reports daily El Espectador.
The former director of the Administrative Department of Security (DAS), Peñate said that the fingerprint that would confirm that Arango Bacci received US$115,000, allegedly from the drug trafficker known as ‘Lord of the Horseshoe’, was not transplanted from elsewhere. Nor was there evidence of anything irregular, claimed Peñate.
“It was not trace transplanted, as I said to two experts who analyzed the DAS document,” Peñate said when asked about the authenticity of the delivery receipt.
This is in contrast to claims made by the former admiral, who admitted that the print was his, but alleged that it was illegally printed onto the receipt.
His arguments were supported by the director of the Prosecutor’s investigation body, Marlú Mendez, who said that studies showed that the fingerprint had not been directly made by Arango Bacci. Peñate contradicted these claims, and added that the test results were made known to the defense minister at the time, Juan Manuel Santos.
“We did a more profound study and found that the print that appears on the receipt is neither original nor authentic,” said Mendez, confirming the results of studies conducted by the agency on 19 October 2007.
The conflicting testimonies came to light Tuesday in a courtroom of the Supreme Court, leaving the liability of Arango Bacci up in the air, who allegedly trafficked drugs with assistance of Colombia’s National Army.
