Cali authorities have arrested politician and former hostage Sigifredo Lopez Wednesday for his alleged complicity in his own kidnapping and of 11 of his colleagues who were later assassinated by the FARC, local media reported.
Lopez is the only survivor of 12 deputies of the Valle del Cauca department who were kidnapped from the assembly building in April 2002 and assassinated five years later.
The former hostage, who unsuccessfully ran for Cali mayor last year, reportedly failed to appear at a number of hearings regarding his alleged complicity in the kidnapping and death of his colleagues.
Demobilized guerrilla “El Cabezon” testified before prosecutors that Lopez had assisted the FARC’s 30th Front with the kidnapping.
While running for Mayor, the former hostage’s campaign sent out a response to the allegations saying that the former guerrilla “agreed to inciminate the former deputy because he was promised that after doing so he would be allowed to leave the country with a political asylum and start a new life in Europe.”
Following his arrest, the former hostage was taken to Bogota where he will be interrogated.