The campaign manager for Colombian presidential candidate Oscar Ivan Zuluaga announced his resignation on Wednesday after national TV reported he had been trying to provide classified information obtained through illegal wiretapping carried out by at least one member of the campaign team.
Former ambassador Luis Alfonso Hoyos made the statement at a press conference in Bogota at which he confirmed to “have resigned from the campaign and go now to defend myself on the streets.”
In an attempt to explain the events which unfolded Hoyos conceded that “It is a serious situation” but claimed that wiretapping suspect “Andres [Sepulveda] told me that there was someone who knew of threats to the Democratic Center in the south … so I decided to get in touch with a serious journalist to verify the information.”
Hoyos added that he did not know the source of the information but stated that “if there were any links to illegal activity, Sepulveda must go to prison.”
Following his resignation, Hoyos continued to support the Zuluaga campaign. On Twitter, the discredited former official called for “no more abuse from officials, no more arbitrariness, Let’s mobilize Colombia. OSCAR IVAN ZULUAGA President in the first round!!!”
No más atropellos oficiales. No más arbitrariedades. A movilizar a Colombia. OSCAR IVAN ZULUAGA Presidente en primera vuelta!!!
— Luis Alfonso Hoyos A (@lhoyosa) May 8, 2014
The latest wiretapping discovery
Luis Alfonso Hoyos came under fire after being recorded at the RCN headquarters trying to pass on information with a contact referred to only as “Intelligence.”
MORE: Zuluaga’s campaign director caught on video with wiretap suspect, critics call for resignation
The man in question was Andres Sepulveda who was arrested on Tuesday after agents from the Prosecutor General’s technical investigation team (CTI) raided an apartment in northern Bogota, where they discovered surveillance equipment used to intercept electronic communications.
The suspect was allegedly in possession of classified military intelligence including information about the government’s ongoing peace negotiations in Havana, and lists of demobilized guerrilla combatants.
MORE: Another Clandestine Wiretapping Operation Discovered In Bogota
Press conference given by Hoyos
Hoyos therefore announced in a press conference in Bogota that he would resign as campaign manager due to his recorded links with Sepulveda and to stop Zuluaga’s campaign from being tainted by the scandal.
The press conference was announced via Zuluaga’s twitter feed stating that Hoyos would use the time to explain his link to Sepulveda. Hoyos took the opportunity to resign.
A las 6:45pm Luis A. Hoyos dará una rueda de prensa aclarando la relación de la campaña con Sepúlveda #ZuluagaExplica http://t.co/pBAmBsUPDd
— Óscar Iván Zuluaga (@OIZuluaga) Mayo 7, 2014
RCN’s side of the story
The meeting which sparked the controversy was with RCN communications director, Rodrigo Pardo.
According to Pardo, “Luis Alfonso Hoyos phoned me and told me he had relevant information about the campaign. I gave him an appointment and he was accompanied by a character, whose name I did not get, but, for security reasons, had the alias of “intelligence.” They said he was an intelligence expert for the government, the armed forces and various international organizations.”
Pardo stated that the content of the interview was “sensitive information about the FARC threatening those who would not vote for Santos and were forcing people to vote for his re-election.”
Video footage of Hoyos arriving for the meeting is what linked the ex-campaign manager to Sepulveda.
Apparent support
No official statement has been given but during the press conference Zuluaga chose to tweet a picture of one of his supporters with the somewhat ironic line “Yes, it is possible to to govern with honesty” written on a whiteboard.
Razones por las cuales la gente me apoya. No les fallaré, me comprometo a dar todo por nuestro país. pic.twitter.com/Y0gumGOrda
— Óscar Iván Zuluaga (@OIZuluaga) Mayo 7, 2014
The press conference was short with a promise that a full report would be circulated on social media sites so as not to be “manipulated” by the media.