One Colombian senator convicted, three more suspected of parapolitics

Caballero was sentenced for six and a half years in prison, but only has to serve half, because of his cooperation with Justice.The most prominent of the three politicians that are now being investigated for their involvement with paramilitary groups is Senator Carlos Garcia, President of the Partido de la U. The other two politicians are Mariam Paredes and Eduardo Enríquez Maya.Garcia immediately resigned from the Partido de la U fraction in the Senate after hearing about the investigation. According to a new law, accepted last Tuesday by the Colombian House of Representatives, a senator who is being suspected of parapolitics may not be replaced by his or her party, leaving his seat empty. This way the government is trying to cope with what is considered the biggest scandal in Colombian political history. Over 50 senators are now suspected of ties with paramilitaries.The Partido de la U accepted Garcia’s resignation, before he was being suspended, making them able to replace them after all.