Tolima congressman arrested for ‘parapolitics’

Colombia’s representative for the Tolima department, Javier Ramiro Devia, has been arrested following allegations that he has links with the paramilitaries, reports El Tiempo.

The arrest was ordered by the Supreme Court, which will give Devia a hearing before determining how to move forward with the case.

Devia had previously been linked to the Tolima Bloc of the AUC coalition by paramilitary fighter Eduardo Restrepo, alias “El Socio,” but no grounds for further investigation were found.

Devia had worked alongside Luis Humberto Gomez Gallo, a former senator who resigned in 2009 due to an investigation into his alleged ties to the Tolima branch of the AUC. Gallo is being held in the Picota jail, Bogota.

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