Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has branded the trial of his former peace commissioner a “legal error,” as he continues to defend officials from his controversial administration who now face jail time, reported RCN La Radio Friday.
Speaking to Costa Rica’s Channel 7 while on a visit to the country, Uribe said, “Luis Carlos Restrepo has been a melting pot, taking responsibility and acting with all honor to demobilize about 45,000 members of terrorist groups. I think it is a serious error of law which has been created to bring Luis Carlos Restrepo to jail.”
Restrepo is currently accused of plotting with imprisoned FARC guerrilla “Olivo Saldaña” and a drug trafficker to gather homeless and unemployed people from the central Tolima department, offering them $278 to train, live and act like FARC guerrillas, then surrender to security forces.
A judge ordered his arrest after he left the country Wednesday evening despite the pending criminal investigation against him.
According to Noticias Caracol, Uribe is on his way to Los Angeles where Restrepo is suspected to be.
Apart from his legal troubles regarding the false demobilization of the fake FARC front, the former peace commissioner is also accused of aiding the fake demobilization of groups which formed part of the right-wing paramilitary organization AUC who demobilized between 2003 and 2006 under the supervision of Restrepo.
On his twitter account, Uribe recently referred to Restrepo as an “efficient patriot, honest and a victim of criminal vengeance.”
Uribe’s defense of Restrepo is one in a long line of recent counter-offensives to defend officials from his 2002-2010 presidency, who find themselves charged with various forms of corruption and malpractice.
