The Inspector General’s Office (IG) on Thursday approved the extradition to the U.S. of former paramilitary leader and drug trafficker “Don Mario,” and commented that his participation in the Justice and Peace process is a joke.
The IG thinks Don Mario is making a mockery of the process, which grants reduced sentences to paramilitaries who demobilize and cooperate with justice because he did not voluntarily surrender but was captured by the Colombian army on April 15, 2009.
According to the IG, Don Mario failed to attend three scheduled testimonial hearings and has become reinvolved with dealings directly related to his former paramilitary activities, El Tiempo reported Thursday,
The IG believes Don Mario is only interested in participating in Justice and Peace because of the benefits he can gain through the process.
Last year the former cocaine baron gave $100,000 in reparations to his victims.
Don Mario was captured along with eighteen members of his security ring in a rural area of the central Colombian department of Antioquia. He is believed to be responsible for 3,000 deaths.
The IG’s approval is one of many steps in the extradition process, which also requires the approval of the Colombian president.