Santos praises prosecutors’ independence

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Thursday voiced his support Colombia’s Prosecutor General and Inspector General for defending justice “no matter who is involved.”

Prosecutor General Viviane Morales on Wednesday filed charges against former intelligence chief Maria Pilar del Hurtado and former chief of staff of former President Alvaro Uribe and requested their arrest. A judge is expected to rule Tuesday whether Moreno must await trial in jail, while Del Pilar Hurtado is in Panama where she received political asylum.

Morales received fierce criticism from Uribe, who insists his aides are innocent of illegally wiretapping political opponents of the former president.

Inspector General Alejandro Ordoñez came under fire by the defense attorney of politician Piedad Cordoba, who he dismissed from the senate over her alleged ties to guerrilla group FARC after the Supreme Court ruled this evidence was inadmissible before any court. Ordoñez said Thursday he refuses to allow Cordoba back in the Senate.

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