Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion
  • About us
  • Support us
  • Contact Us
  • Intelligence
  • Advertising
  • Newsletter
Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion
News

‘I do not know where Luis Carlos Restrepo is’: Uribe

by Charles Parkinson February 13, 2012

uribe

Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has claimed he does not know the whereabouts of wanted ex-official Luis Carlos Restrepo, in an interview with W Radio Monday.

Despite not knowing his location, Uribe declared that the media had unduly influenced the justice system into seeking a conviction, that Restrepo had no guarantee of a fair trial in Colombia, and that the former peace commissioner had a letter of recommendation from him.

Uribe said, “To say they have guarantees when much of the media applies pressure […] typifies the lack of guarantees, through outlandish facts and the imputation of fraud […] and embezzlement, which demands that Dr Restrepo is deprived of liberty.”

Restrepo, who served as peace commissioner during Uribe’s presidency, was last week discovered to have fled the country before an arrest warrant for his part in the 2006 “false demobilization” scandal could be executed.

He faces charges of conspiracy, embezzlement by appropriation, fraud, trafficking and possession of weapons, over the scandal, and a new contempt of court charge over his January 8 disappearance, and will be tried in absentia if he does not return.

The former official, who oversaw paramilitary and guerrilla demobilization’s during his tenure, is alleged to have plotted with imprisoned FARC guerrilla “Olivo Saldaña” and a drug trafficker to pay homeless and unemployed people in the central Tolima department $278 each to train, live and act like FARC guerrillas, then surrender to security forces.

Restrepo is the second high-profile former Uribe official to prefer exile over the Colombian justice system, with ex-DAS intelligence service head Maria Pilar Hurtado currently in Panama, where an appeal for her extradition was rejected this month. She is wanted for involvement in the illegal wiretapping of journalists, Supreme Court judges and Uribe’s political opponents.

Alvaro Uribefalse demobilizationLuis Carlos Restrepo

Trending

  • Colombia’s main cities shut down as COVID threatens to collapse healthcare

  • Colombia’s capital Bogota to lock down for another weekend

  • What COVID taught Colombia about cocaine | Part 1: the tsunami

Weekly interviews and news updates

Related articles

  • Colombia’s prosecution asks court to revoke indictment Uribe

  • Former Uribe aide remains silent in Colombia’s 2018 election fraud probe

  • Uribe probe raises suspicion Colombia’s banks sponsored terrorism

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • RSS

@2008-2019 - Colombia Reports. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by Digitale Zaken and Parrolabs


Back To Top