A Colombian prosecutor on Thursday ordered the arrest of former Liberal congressman Alfonso Lopez Cossio for alleged ties to paramilitary groups.
The case investigator substituted house arrest for a prison sentence for Cossio, having taken into consideration his age at 65.
The prosecutor general said in a statement that Cossio stands accused of “conspiracy to commit aggravated crime,” a charge faced by some seventy other Colombian legislators for their alleged links to paramilitary death squads.
Cossio is accused of having fraternized with extreme right paramilitaries in exchange for their support for his candidacy as governor of Bolivar in the 2003 elections, reported W Radio.
The judicial authority indicated that a prosecutor from the National Unity for the Fight Against Terrorism was taking out proceedings against Cossio “for his alleged links with AUC (paramilitaries) who committed crimes in the south of Bolivar.”