Santiago Uribe sent a letter to Colombia’s Prosecutor General Wednesday promising not to skip the country while he is under criminal investigation for founding a paramilitary group.
Uribe, the younger brother of former president Alvaro Uribe, is accused of creating and leading a paramilitary group called “Los 12 Apsosteles,” associated with the AUC, which operated for almost 20 years in the north of Colombia.
Although the investigation opened one year ago, the Prosecutor General has not yet decided whether to hold Uribe in custody pending trial.
In May, the key witness in Uribe’s case refused to continue cooperating with authorities until the Prosecutor General’s Office guaranteed his safety.
Retired National Police Major Juan Carlos Meneses, who openly admits to being involved with Los 12 Apsosteles while acting as police chief, repeatedly accused Santiago Uribe of links to the former paramilitary organization.
“I am going to decline [to testify], because the Prosecutor General’s Office deceived me. A bargain was made about my place of detention, and they sent me to the place where the hired killer that I was pointing to as a member of the 12 Apostles is,” said Meneses.
MORE: ‘Prosecution deceived me’: key witness against Uribe brother refuses to testify
Santiago Uribe was previously investigated in 1996 and 2000, also on suspicion of involvement with paramilitaries.
Over 80 politicians have been imprisoned for parapolitics since 2006. Many of these were allies of Alvaro Uribe, who was President from 2002 to 2010.
Between 2010 and 2014, 5 members of Congress were removed from office for their connections to paramilitaries.
MORE:10% of Colombia’s 2010-2014 Congress kicked out of office
Sources
- Santiago Uribe asegura que no se irá del país (El Colombiano)