Uribe has resigned, will Prada do it?

RICARDO AREIZA

Unidadinvestigativa @ lanación.com, co

Former President Álvaro Uribe resigned yesterday untimely of the Senate after being formally linked to an investigation For the same facts will also be studied the Congressman Huila, Alvaro Hernan Prada, who would have been the "liaison" for the manipulation of false witnesses, in a former lawsuit that they fought for six years with the democratic senator of Pole Iván Cepeda

"I feel morally prevented from acting as senator and at the same time from defending my defense.Therefore, I give up the Senate of the Republic and request that I accept this resignation, "said the former president. The announcement caused a real political and legal tsunami.

Prada, meanwhile, announced that he has committed no crime and has refrained from reporting if he would follow the example of the former President, natural leader of his party

. Supreme Court, the two members of Congress will be bound to the criminal proceedings by way of investigation. This is one of the many investigations that are advanced to the founder of the Democratic Center.

Before the decision of the High Court, Uribe announced in his social network his resignation to his seat in the Senate. However, the resignation must be filed with the General Secretariat of the Senate to be subject to the corresponding procedure.

The resignation, if admitted, would allow your Attorney General of the Republic to investigate your case, lose their jurisdiction, as happened with Congressmen detained for "parapolítica" . Strategy

However, according to other jurists, this varied position and even resignation will remain in the hands of the Court. This clarity will determine the ultimate fate of the ex-manatario.

If it is confirmed, his party will be orphaned. His eventual retirement is recorded four days after baduming his seat for the second term with the highest vote that Congress has recorded.

Background

The facts on which the Court is investigating in this case come from the past 16 February and are related to the false witness of Senator Iván Cepeda. On that day, the Chamber of Cbadation refrained from sending instructions to Cepeda and copied a copy against Álvaro Uribe, who denounced him in February 2012.

The Court " "found no basis for the complaint or the opening of criminal proceedings to Senator Cepeda." The collegial decision was supported by magistrates Jose Luis Barceló, Luis Antonio Hernandez and Fernando Castro.

"After a rigorous investigation that lasted for several months, Trial Chamber 2 of the Criminal Appeal Chamber managed to gather evidence that led to open the investigation against the members. of Congress ", He explained in a statement

" Senators Álvaro Uribe and Álvaro Hernán Prada will be linked to the process through an investigation.Before presenting themselves at this diligence, they will have the opportunity to know the tests that engage them, and they will have enough time to prepare the defense against the charges against them, "said the Supreme Court.

In this legal action, he said, they will be respected, as should be the case in a democratic and legal state. the guarantees that badist them as defendants, and they will be accompanied by the Office of the Attorney General in overseeing the process.

According to the Code of Criminal Procedure, the investigation shall determine, inter alia, whether they have violated the criminal law or not, as well as the possible reasons, factors and circumstances surrounding the facts under investigation.

Manipulation

New behaviors would have emerged after experiencing providence. "In reaction to this court decision and apparently with his consent, relatives of former President Uribe allegedly began new acts of witness manipulation."

"In the preliminary inquiry, ordered on February 22 to corroborate these latest facts, the Court found evidence to begin this process to which Senators Uribe and Prada must respond for the aforementioned crimes," confirmed the high court in a statement.

In addition, he accepted the request of Uribe Vélez and made arrangements to hear it. in a free version during the preliminary investigation opened from the verification of copies, also for the alleged manipulation of witnesses in events before February 16, 2018, derived from the preliminary investigation that was advanced to Senator Iván Cepeda.

Other Investigation

Finally, the Court ordered copies to the Office of the Prosecutor to investigate the interceptions of the appeal The phone calls between the lawyer Diego Javier Cadena Ramírez and the l & # 39; ex-recipient Hilda Jeaneth Niño Farfán, captured last June for promoting money for the paramilitaries, including Orlando Villa Zapata

Apparently, he benefited Orlando Villa Zapata, chief financial officer of the company. organization of "Los Mellizos" and investigated for drug trafficking and conspiracy to commit a crime.

"The ex-employee, according to the Court, has pledged to discredit the criminal investigation against Mr. Santiago Uribe Vélez" The High Court has also sent copies of several telephone interceptions held with the lawyer Diego Javier Cadena Ramírez

The new case

The Court examined the seven testimonies where Uribe Velez interviewed and concluded that Cepeda He did not participate in any strategy but, instead, evidence was found that the witnesses were tampered with or on the basis of telephone intercepts, there would be evidence to open an investigation against former president Uribe for his possible involvement in witness tampering and procedural fraud.

The Esperanza system recorded with Dr. Álvaro Uribe's voice are those attributed to him by his private number to address the issue of witnesses who accuse and urgently seek mechanisms to neutralize them ", said the court mentioned above reveal that Juan Guillermo Villegas Uribe, and others, intervened witnesses to implicate Dr. Iván Cepeda in the formation of an alleged cartel of false witnesses, when what seems to be happening is the opposite, a plot (…) to discredit his legislative work and, by the way, the interviews legally collected in the performance of their duties ". The surprise resignation immediately stirred agitation inside and outside the country

The case of Prada

The representative in the Chamber, Álvaro Hernán Prada, was accused as "liaison" with a false witness to favor Uribe.

According to Semana magazine, Prada allegedly participated in the pressure of a witness against Uribe.

The witness is Juan Guillermo Monsalve Pineda, son of Oscar Monsalve, an old Butler from Hacienda Guacharacas belonging to the Uribe family. He was captured from 2007 and sentenced to 37 years for kidnapping. The case was discovered by journalist Daniel Coronell

Juan Guillermo Monsalve testified before the prosecutor's office on September 14 and 27, 2012, and said he belonged to the subway block that operated from this hacienda. According to Monsalve, the link was Prada, who allegedly contacted Carlos Alberto López, aka "Caliche", who had been the subject of an investigation for drug trafficking.

López Ramírez, according to Semana magazine, said in several messages to Monsalve, that when they met Prada, it was usual for the congressman to put on the speaker so that the former president Uribe could give instructions. Prada denied the speaker.

According to Coronell, Prada agreed that the meeting took place; He even claims to have met "twice or three times" with "Caliche", but he badures that he was not the one who was looking for contact. "He also mentioned another intermediary named Mauricio Marroquín, according to Coronell in his article in Semana

Prada himself confirmed that two weeks before the parliamentary elections they contacted him to inform him that Carlos López, aka "Caliche", who would have acted In the name of Monsalve, he wanted to tell the truth about the case

The contact was Carlos Vidal, who introduced himself with "Caliche"

Prada admitted having met "Caliche" at Neiva Airport on June 20. February and told him that Monsalve wanted to tell the truth.After they communicated by wasap.He finally declared that he was a quack and never answered him again.

After Uribe's resignation, Prada made a brief statement. "I have never committed a crime, "he said.

Prada was waiting for him to take the lead to show that he did not commit any crime. However, he refrained from saying he would resign from his seat, as former president Uribe, the natural leader of his caucus.

"This is a criminal network," pleaded lawyer Jaime Lombana, who was with Prada at La Picota

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