The father of Medellin’s mayor and owner of local newspaper El Mundo, currently under house arrest for alleged ties to paramilitary groups, said Friday he was a victim of extortion and planned to mount an appeal.
Guillermo Gaviria Echeverri was confined to his home after a commander of the now defunct-paramilitary organization the AUC, Raul E. Hasbun, alias “Pedro Bonito,” implicated the businessman in crimes committed by the group.
The businessman released a statement Friday denying the accusations on El Mundo’s website saying, “Once I am notified of the injunction, I shall appeal and hope to finally prove that Mr. Hasbun has lied to the courts and society in order to tarnish my reputation and my family.”
Echevierri has continually denied allegations that he willingly financed paramilitaries and has testified before prosecutors that he was extorted by the AUC.