The former analysis chief of Colombia’s intelligence agency DAS was sentenced to eight years and four months in jail for his role in the illegal wiretapping of government opponents, judges and journalists.
A Bogota judge also sentenced former DAS executive Gustavo Sierra to paying a $14,000 fine after admitting to the charges of conspiracy, malfeasance and abuse of power.
A few weeks before his sentencing, Sierra asked the victims of the wiretap scandal forgiveness of his crimes and stressed he was following orders from DAS director Maria del Pilar Hurtado, who is currently in Panama where she received political asylum.
The illegal wiretapping of Supreme Court magistrates, journalists, opposition politicians and human rights workers caused a major scandal in Colombia and led to the barring from holding public office of the chief of staf of then-President Alvaro Uribe, who himself is investigated for allegedly ordering the spying on his opponents.