A former guerrilla claims that the Colombian government owes him a reward for giving a tip-off which allowed the authorities to locate and kill FARC commander “Raul Reyes” in 2008.
According to a report in newspaper El Tiempo, the guerrilla-turned-informant filed a complaint against members of the armed forces before the Inspector General, on the grounds that a promised reward for his intelligence work was never given.
The man claims he has a right to the reward placed on information leading to Reyes’ arrest, as his tip was crucial to the cross-border operation.
The police agree that the man, Alexander Duque Gonzalez, surrendered valuable information about the FARC’s 48th Front, which was in charge of the security of the slain commander, but claims the unit that was in touch with the informant had nothing to do with “Operation Phoenix” that killed the FARC commander and 25 others.
Following the guerrilla’s desertion and the death of Reyes, Duque has been the victim of at least one murder attempt.