Three agents of a special Colombian police force wiretapped telephone calls made by a Supreme Court magistrate in exchange for money, possibly paid by a high government official, Caracol TV reported Thursday.
The news came to light as a result of an investigation he judge, Iván Velásquez, was conducting into the abduction of farmer Gregorio Aguilar Alba, apparently by the FARC on January 31 in San Bernardo (Cundinamarca). The farmer was later released to the Army.
However, days later police officials from the elite Gaula unit went to a prosecutor asking to intercept the phone calls, on the grounds the investigation was ongoing and to find the perpetrators.
The investigation has so far revealed the officers illegally wiretapped Velásquez in August, and were ordered to do so by a senior official.
The Supreme Court magistrate is in charge of the investigations against lawmakers who are suspected of having sought political gain through pacts with paramilitary death squads and was previously wiretapped illegally by state intelligence agency DAS.
The Gaula officials were suspended and are being investigated by a prosecutor of the unit appointed by the Supreme Court.
The Gaula is a special unit of military police created in 1996 as an anti-kidnapping squad, also dedicated to combat extortion.