The Prosecutor General´s Office asked a Bogota judge to convict former Senator Alvaro
Araujo Castro, arguing that there is sufficient evidence the politician had ties to paramilitary AUC.
The prosecuting attorney explained to the judge that the prosecution has documents and testimonies that link Araujo to extradited paramilitary leader Rodrigo Tovar Pupo, alias ‘Jorge 40’.
Araujo claimed that the prosecution presented evidence that is not related to him and therefore requests that the judge discharge him.
In reaction, Colombia’s Inspector General’s Office said it disagreed with the Prosecution’s claims and asked the court to absolve the former senator instead. The IG claims there is not enough evidence that link Araujo to the AUC.
The former senator is one of many Colombian congressmen being investigated for ‘parapolitics’, the use of intimidation by paramilitary forces to be voted into Congress.