Three former councilmen and one businessman have been sentenced to seven years and six months in prison for ties to paramilitary groups, local media reported on Tuesday.
Former councilmen, Euclides Gomez, Guillermo Rueda, and Romualdo de Jesus and one businessman, Eduardo Davila, were sentenced to seven years and six months in prison with a fine of 6.500 times the current legal monthly minimum wage. All three councilmen are from the northern municipality of Santa Marta.
The four were found guilty of Aggravated Conspiracy to Commit a Crime, by means of promoting and financing illegal groups.
The Specialized Fourth Circuit Criminal Court of Medellin convicted the men after the prosecution found ties to the now defunct Tayrona Resistance paramilitary group, which was under the command of the extradited Herman Giraldo Serna.
According to the prosecutors office of Colombia’s National Counter Terrorism Unit, the convicted promoted armed groups through their positions between 2000 and 2003.
After the trial the judge ordered an investigation into suspected perjury by many witnesses who took to the stand.
Sources:
Condenados empresario y tres exconcejales de Santa Marta por vínculos con paramilitares (CMI)