A former guerrilla, who killed FARC leader “Ivan Rios” before turning himself in to Colombian authorities, asked the Electoral Commission to allow him to register his bid for the Senate.
Pedro Pablo “Rojas” Montoya killed Rios and his girlfriend in their sleep with close-range shots to the head in March 2008. He then cut off Rios’ right hand as proof of the killing, and carried it packed in ice as he surrendered to the army.
“Rojas,” a FARC guerrilla for 16 years, is currently being detained in Bogota’s La Picota high security prison. He believes the political movement Apertura Liberal will support him if he runs for election to the Senate on March 14.
The guerrilla reportedly wants to stand for the Senate because “according to him the government failed to deliver the reward they promised him when he turned himself in, and he wants to fight to ensure this situation doesn’t happen to other demobilized people,” El Tiempo reported.
“Rojas” has not received a cent of his $320,000 reward, which was frozen to offer eventual indemnity to victims of four kidnappings attributed to him.
The former FARC soldier admitted he decided to launch a political career after spending a year in jail with recently extradited former director of the pyramid scheme DMG David Murcia.
“Rojas” says that if elected to Congress, he will promote agricultural reform and be a manager of peace.
He is accused of the crimes of terrorism, murder and carrying illegal arms. However, he points out that the Colombian constitution stipulates that if a person has been accused but not been sentenced for crimes, they can still run for Congress.