Former President Alvaro Uribe was recently elected to Colombia’s Senate. However, according to Caracol Radio, no office in Congress is safe enough to comply with the politician’s rigid security measures.
Uribe’s massive security requirements were put in place after alleged death threats revealed earlier this year.
MORE: ‘FARC plotting to kill Uribe’: Colombia defense minister
Additionally, Uribe’s new party, the Democratic Center, has claimed to also have received death threats by rebel groups FARC and ELN.
MORE: FARC and ELN allegedly threaten Uribe’s Democratic Center
According to Caracol, there is only one office in the Congress building secure enough for the former president. However, that office is currently occupied by coalition Senator Armando Benedetti, a strong ally of Uribe’s main political adversary, current President Juan Manuel Santos.
Two options are reportedly being considered: the renovation of some offices in the administrative area of the Congress building, or, if necessary, the rental of an external office that is adequate to guarantee Uribe’s safety.
Uribe’s entry to Congress is controversial as the former head of state is currently being investigated for 286 alleged crimes. A concerned citizen sued the State to prevent the former president from taking part in the same branch of government in charge of investigating him.
MORE: Lawsuit filed to remove Uribe from Senate
Uribe, who was president for two consecutive terms between 2002 and 2010, is currently being investigated for a series of scandals that involve the extrajudicial killing of thousands of Colombians, the bribing of lawmakers to allow a second presidential bid, the illegal wiretapping of the Supreme Court and dissident voices in the public sphere, and hundreds lesser charges.
Sources
- No hay oficinas en el Congreso que garanticen seguridad de Uribe (Caracol Radio)