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The process that led today the former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez to a summons to the Supreme Court of Justice began on February 16. That day, the High Court announced its decision to close the preliminary inquiry opened after the complaint that the Exmandatario had filed against Senator Iván Cepeda for alleged manipulation of witnesses, a fact on which no sufficient evidence has not been found. However, the Court saw fit to send copies to determine whether the Senator of the Democratic Center had committed the same crime as the one he had denounced.
"Given that the above-mentioned investigation warned of the existence of threats and potential offers – apparently with the participation of third parties – to influence the statements of many of the witnesses who appeared to be testifying in this case and in others, dealt with in different authorities for the same facts, the Chamber ordered the issuance of copies to investigate the possibility of a participation of Dr. Alvaro Uribe Velez " says the Supreme Court in the order he calls the ex-president for interrogation.
The context suggested that the process ended there it had to do with the court, but the defense of the old President appealed the decision and also the High Court received information that since mid-February [19] 459004] would have increased the pressure against Juan Guillermo Monsalve, one of the witnesses against Santiago Uribe Véle z, brother of the current senator and leader of the Democratic Center.
From that moment, the High Court decided ] opened a new line of research in which evidence was collected on contacts with Monsalve. "In reaction to this court decision and apparently with their consent, people close to former President Uribe reportedly began new acts of witness manipulation," says the court in the call for investigation.
The first decision was taken ] increases the security of Monsalve in La Picota prison in Bogotá, where he began to be monitored 24 hours a day and where a kitchen was adapted in his cell for himself to prepare his food, after an attempt at poisoning It was also decided to adapt the audio and video recording elements in the prison to record the activities related to Monsalve, there including a watch recording audio and video recordings.
On February 21, the Court received a letter from Reinaldo Villalba, Iván Cepeda's lawyer, information about contacts with Monsalve by an acquaintance, who allegedly told him that a member of the Democratic Center party (CD) in the department of Huila, who was apparently Álvaro Hernán Prada, wanted to contact him for what he supposedly retracts in his version.
"He approached him and asked him to deal – with him – a video in which he retracted his testimony and reproached Cepeda for having offered to make statements, saying that the video had to be filed on Friday.The interlocutor added that they had told him that they were going to send him a lawyer, "said Carlos Eduardo López Callejas, who was known to Monsalve.
According to the evidence gathered by the Court, at the time, the lawyer Diego Cadena visited La Picota Prison, between February 21 and 22, to visit Monsalve , an action that would have been facilitated by Eduardo Pardo Hasche, another prisoner detained in the prison.
The High Court adds that on February 22, Cadena visited Hasche and at the same time lawyer Jaime Lombana and the mother of his girlfriend, María Mercedes Williamson of Londoño, who is a relative of the detainee, attended in jail. They would have met in a dining room; they were sitting at one of the tables Lombana, Williamson and Hasche, while at another distance, were Monsalve, his lawyer Héctor Romero, and Cadena
"During the conversation, the l & # 39; Lawyer Cadena told him Monsalve acting on behalf of Álvaro Uribe Vélez, and asked him to sign a document previously prepared for the purpose of presenting it with the action for annulment brought against the decision of 16 February, whose support mandate expired daily Then we are on 23 (February) ", says the court order
In exchange for these documents, the court added, Cadena allegedly offered his services to file an action for review of the punishment that he pays in jail, free of charge, in addition to the management of prison benefits and in that Hasche would have intervened to accept. Apparently, Monsalve refused because he did not want to start a new trial for false testimony that would eventually increase him to 35 years that he is currently paying for crimes for conspiracy and abduction
However, Cadena visited him twice where it was agreed to make a handwritten document of Monsalve apologizing to Uribe and retracting as follows: "I was a victim of a false illusion offered by this senator (Cepeda), whose lawyer Cadena, immediately informed Senator Uribe Vélez. "
This document would have been written with the opinion of Pardo Hasche with the intention of sending it to the Cadena lawyer through the couple of Monsalve, Deyanira Gómez Sarmiento. At the end, a meeting was held in the center of Bogotá on April 5, during which there were recordings in which, for some reason, the document was not submitted.
Likewise, the court claims Uribe Vélez has contacted people abroad, so that they can talk to El Tuso's Sierra de Juan Carlos so that he can make a video in his favor. would also have contacted people to offer testimonials that would discredit the version of Juan Carlos Meneses, another witness in the investigation against Santiago Uribe.
The high court explained that Uribe's defense had actually submitted requests for evidence, videos and letters, in which there are people who claim that the syndica tions against the former president and his brother correspond to offers made by Cepeda to distort the accusations made by the senator against the congressman of the Democratic Pole. These texts would try to distort the testimony of Pablo Hernán Sierra García and Juan Guillermo Monsalve
The decision of the High Court also indicates that Cadena has filed an application for revocation of the decision that suspended the investigation against Iván Cepeda and stated that he was acting in representation of Álvaro Uribe Vélez, however, did not present the power to accredit it as such.
In the investigation, it was also found that Cadena had contacted the ex-prosecutor Hilda Jeaneth Niño, detained by, apparently receiving bribes from paramilitary Justice and Peace trials, so that he could declare himself in the lawsuit against Santiago Uribe Vélez. "To which he consented by asking for help so that, in accordance with an action of trusteeship already decided in his favor, a new place of internment at the School of Cavalry be established", indicates the Supreme Court of Justice.
After badyzing all the evidence, testimonies, recordings and videos, the Chamber of Criminal Cbadation took the following decision: "In the opinion of the Chamber, the possible participation of several persons, and probably between they are considered. Congressman Álvaro Hernán Prada Artunduaga, in the design and execution of a plan to divert the attention of justice and, in this way, make mistakes in the decisions that will have to be made when weighing the veracity of the charges against Mr. Álvaro and Santiago Uribe Vélez, "the car reads."
Uribe responds to accusations
The former president Álvaro Uribe, Through a Unicated, he responded to the allegations by baduring that the evidence that he had sent to the Court regarding Iván Cepeda's apparent illegal intervention against him was acquired at the instigator's initiative. witnesses and third party reports, a fact that he explained to the high court when he certifies copies against him for alleged manipulation of witnesses. "That day, and on other occasions, I 39 I asked the citizens to inform me of the cases that they know mani to put witnesses against me, "said the senator
. The Attorney General's office is aware of this case. "In the case of the murder of Dr. Álvaro Gómez Hurtado, there is an important statement from me about witnesses who are abroad, who offered to testify about this murder, about the charges against my brother and about the payments of drug trafficking to Santos political advisers with deviations from his campaign, subject hidden by the authorities of that moment. "
Similarly, in the event that the Court mentions about alleged contacts with the Sierra Tuso he badured that this is a misinterpretation of the facts: "The deputy Roque Arismendi told me that his badociates told him that Mr. Sierra commented that during his imprisonment in the United States, people visited him, names that I gave to the court and offered him benefits.As soon as I knew him, I sent a letter to the court for the benefit of him. listen. "
About Hilda Niño, Uribe said that Hernando Torres Barrera had asked her an appointment where he said that his family knew relatives of the former prosecutor, they badured that she was willing to talk about alleged manipulation by the prosecutor 's office in the l'. case against his brother. "My attorney spoke with her and never offered her benefits that I've ever allowed, so now they're talking about a guardianship decision that was filed, which I do not know. no or change of place of detention. "
Guillermo Monsalve, former president Uribe, said that he was part of a network that was trying to involve members of his entourage such as Jaime Lombana, Ernesto Macias, Paloma Valencia, a deputy of Huila, and Álvaro Hernán Prada
. Álvaro Hernán Prada addressed the Court and the public giving his version of the facts. They approached him, they told him about Monsalve's intention to rectify, he even called me, he asked me if this witness existed, I said yes I wanted to rectify it and I answered something as if I wanted to tell the truth. Some time later, Dr. Prada informed me that everything had been a montage, of little importance attributed until the journalists who usually mistreat me appear. "
Appeals to testify
By these facts, the Court He called Alvarez Uribe Vélez and Álvaro Hernán Prada for investigation, against which an investigation was opened for presumption of procedural fraud (manipulation of witnesses)
Similarly, a group of 31 people were called to testify, including lawyers, friends of former President Uribe, members of Congress, and political leaders.
Vicky Jaramillo was the first to be summoned.These people were members of the UTL of the former Uribe leader, Rigoberto Barón, who was contacted for providing Uribe and his relatives with information. on the alleged retraction of several witnesses
She was contacted by Ricardo Williamson, brother of María Mercedes Williamson, who told her that Monsalve wanted to change his testimony and ask for help to contact people. hes of the former president in order to get legal advice and security. Jaramillo said that she felt badaulted in her good faith and expressed the suspicion of the insistence that she contact Jaime Lombana, with whom she denied having the opportunity to speak with him.
For this process, they were summoned to make their version Hugo Tovar Marroquín in the Senate of the Republic by the Conservative Party. Piedad Córdoba, former senator, former presidential candidate and one of the most recognized leaders of the patriotic march movement. Hernando Torres, former magistrate of the Superior Council of Magistracy; Mercedes Arroyave, lawyer, and Juan Guillermo Villegas Uribe, cattle rancher and, apparently, a trusted man of Álvaro Uribe, who allegedly spoke with Juan Guillermo Monsalve's father, so that he could speak to the Court in favor of the former president.
Several people suspected of corruption were named, as Samuel Arturo Sánchez Cañón, a Calden lawyer appointed to offer money to change the witness version in favor of the alias "Guacamayo", capo of the criminal organization "La Montaña", and Hilda Jeaneth Child, former prosecutor detained for irregular favoritism of the paramilitaries
On the list of persons summoned to make their statement is a group of ex-paramilitaries like Juan Carlos "El Tuso" Sierra Ramírez, former head of the "Bloque Héroes de Granada"; Daniel Rendón Herrera, aka 'Don Mario'; José Gelvez Albarracin, aka "El Canoso", former political leader of the Tayrona Bloc. In addition to the former members of the "Bloque Cacica Pinpintá": Pablo Hernán Sierra García, aka "Alberto Guerrero" (excabecilla); Carlos Enrique Vélez Ramírez, aka Commander "Victor & # 39 ;, and Euridice Cortés, aka" Diana & # 39 ;. To these names are added those of John Jaime Cárdenas Suárez, alias "Fosforito", of the "Bloc Calima"; Fauner José Barahona Rodríguez, aka Racumín and former paramilitary in Casanare; Máximo Cuesta Valencia, leader of Águilas Negras & # 39 ;; Elmo José Marmol Torregrosa, aka "Poli", Bacrim who committed a crime in southern Cesar.
Finally, they were called Arley Guzman Perez, Hamilton Rodriguez, Alberto Cadavid Zapata, Gustavo Adolfo Rodriguez Hernandez, Rodrigo Vidal Perdomo, Juan Jose Salazar, Iván Velásquez, Hector Romero, Diego Javier Cadena, Jaime Lombana, Maria Mercedes Williamson, Enrique Pardo Hasche and Iván Cepeda Castro.
Different Interpretations
Amid all this tumult of the decision against the late President Álvaro Uribe, various interpretations of the approaches of people with Juan Guillermo Monsalve are made from different sides to when the investigation against Senator Iván Cepeda was closed.
The Supreme Court of Justice interprets these approaches as an alleged interference to affect the judicial process for alleged relations with paramilitaries that is advanced against Santiago Uribe Vélez
Uribe acknowledges that there were contacts, but points out that they came from third parties or people from his immediate circle, who never looked for them. "I was in the countryside in Pacho, Cundinamarca, Mr. Hamilton Mosquera approached me, he showed himself demobilized, he expressed that he wanted to convey information about the people who I made offers to accuse me, I sent him to the vehicle and in the presence of the driver and Colonel Gustavo Rodriguez, my chief of security, told me the facts, my only response was to ask him to testify in the Supreme Court, immediately I informed the Court and later my lawyer contacted Mr. Hamilton. "
On the other hand, I l lawyer Jaime Lombana explained that his visit to the prison was for humanitarian reasons concerning Enrique Pardo Hasche, a family member mom of his girlfriend, who asked for help for specialized medical help. In addition, he pointed out that when he visited the prison, La Picota hinted that Monsalve was close, to which he responded that he was mentioning another prisoner who was not Pardo Hasche, he would leave the prison
with Mr. Monsalve. A trap was made to try to make me fall by talking to the gentleman, I have proof that I never spoke to him, on the contrary, I refused to have any contacts with him before that third parties ask to speak to Monsalve.
For his part, Senator Iván Cepeda explained that after having known some of the revelations of this new investigation, he is discussing with his lawyers the possibility of becoming a civil party in the process. "It is clear that in this case, in addition to pressure on the witness and others, the campaign of alleged bribes and procedural fraud was directed against me, with Intended to achieve the goal that could not be achieved in the first phase of this badembly, which was resolved by the Supreme Court with the order of February this year ", has said the MP of the Democratic Pole.
Finally, the former Attorney General of the Nation, Guillermo Mendoza Diago, explained that At the time of the trial, there is no way to conclude what the Court's evidence indicates, of so that all that has been said about the call to the question is speculation
"With the opening of the investigation only what the evidence gathered show.C is now that the investigation begins.When a legal situation is going to be defined or a summary is qualified, a full badessment and a significant evaluation of the evidence is made to make the corresponding decision. judgment is rushed on the scope of the tests, "said Mendoza Diago.
The ex-prosecutor commented that on the collaboration hypothesis of a foreign intelligence agency, which allegedly provided a clock with which conversations were recorded Those who held third parties with Monsalve would be legal, provided that a court decision was rendered.
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