Colombia’s former president Alvaro Uribe on Wednesday went before the Prosecutor General to accuse Congressman Ivan Cepeda of paying a paramilitary to testify against him.
Uribe declared that Cepeda took advantage of his position on 21 occasions to visit a jailed paramilitary in order to pressure him to testify. According to the ex-head of state, the congressman, “had the authorization to visit jails in order to check the humanitarian conditions of the prisoners” but claims that he visited the same paramilitary 21 times.
In August of 2011, Ivan Cepeda recorded a statement from the former leader of the Casique Pipinta bloc of the AUC, Pablo Hernan Sierra Garcia, alias “Alberto Guerrero,” which accused Uribe of forming a paramilitary group while he was governor of the Antioquia department (1995–1997). The paramilitary leader made his statement from a jail south of Medellin, Antioquia where he was being held at that time.
BACKGROUND: Uribe founded paramilitary group: Ex-paramilitary
Additionally, Uribe told the press that he delivered testimony to the Prosecutor General from someone close to the witness who said, “Ivan Cepeda offered and paid money [to the witness],” adding that this constitutes obstruction of justice.
Congressman Cepeda told Colombia Reports he believes Uribe is trying to scare future witnesses from testifying against him with diversion tactics, and added that the case against Uribe is not solely based on testimonies, but also in facts and physical evidence.
Cepeda responded to Uribe’s claims Wednesday saying he is “waiting in complete serenity for the Prosecutor General to complete their investigation; the ex-president is prone to making these types of accusations without proof in order to divert the attention of the general public.”
Sources
- Iván Cepeda le pagó a paramilitares para que declararán en mi contra: Álvaro Uribe (Caracol Radio)
- Álvaro Uribe aseguró que Cepeda pagó a paramilitares para que declararan en su contra (Santa Fe Radio)
- Interview with Ivan Cepeda (Colombia Reports)
- Cepeda desmiente que haya pagado a paramilitares y espera investigacion de la Fiscalia (Caracol)