Former leader of the umbrella paramilitary organization AUC, Ramiro Vanoy, alias “Cuco Vanoy,” announced that he will no longer cooperate with the Justice and Peace process, Caracol Radio reported.
After serving just two years of his 24-year sentence in the U.S., Vanoy said he will not continue with the process, citing personal and family security as well legal reasons.
His announcement came just before a court hearing in which a delegate of the prosecutor’s office planned to file charges against Vanoy, including murder, forced displacement, and coercion.
Vanoy’s list of reasons for leaving the process is largely personal. He cited the murder of his son, his brother and his brother’s wife in 2008, the attack against his nephew in 2009, and the kidnapping of his three children by the members of the drug trafficking cartel the “Oficina de Envigado.” Vanoy believes that cooperating with the government will prompt further attacks.
The former head of the “Bloque Mineros,” a division of the AUC, Vanoy, demobilized in 2006 but was extradited to the U.S. because he was believed to still be working with paramilitary organizations. Critics of his extradition claimed that it would hinder his participation in the Justice and Peace process, which involves testifying about their crimes and making reparations to their victims.
This is not the first time Vanoy has claimed that he would not continue with the peace process. Just days before the murder of his son, Vanoy said he would not cooperate to protect his family.