The Colombian Inspector General’s Office called on the Supreme Court to acquit Mario Uribe, former Senate president and cousin of ex-President Alvaro Uribe, of “parapolitics” charges, reports Caracol Radio.
Mario Uribe is currently standing trial, accused of having sought the help of the now-disbanded AUC paramilitary coaliton to gain votes in his 2002 Senate campaign.
Inspector General official Jorge Gonzalez stated that the former senator should be fully acquitted, on the grounds that there were inconsistencies in witness statements in Uribe’s trial, and that the testimony of AUC leader Salvatore Mancuso should not be taken into account.
Mancuso, who led the AUC’s Northern Bloc, testified against Uribe via video conferencing before the Colombian Supreme Court on Thursday.
Mancuso, who is in a United States jail facing drug trafficking charges, told the court that his organization had supported the Senate campaign of Maro Uribe, and that Mancuso had personally called up paramilitary commanders in the San Jorge region to ask them to support the politician.
Mario Uribe was arrested in February after two former paramilitary fighters alleged that they held negotiations with the former senator to help him secure a seat in the Colombian Senate in 2002. The paramilitaries also accused Mario Uribe of having used his relationship with the AUC to buy cheap land in the department of Cordoba.