Ex-Colombia president's allies convicted for spying ring
Source: Associated Press
Ex-Colombia president's allies convicted for spying ring
By LIBARDO CARDONA
Associated Press
February 27, 2015 Updated 3 hours ago
BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia's Supreme Court on Friday convicted two close aides of former President Alvaro Uribe for organizing a spying ring that illegally intercepted the communications of some of the conservative leader's top opponents.
Maria del Pilar Hurtado, the former head of Colombia's intelligence agency, and Bernardo Moreno, Uribe's chief of staff, were both found guilty of several crimes including conspiracy. They each face more than 10 years in jail.
The judicial noose has been slowly tightening around Uribe's inner circle since the staunch U.S. ally stepped down in 2010, handing the presidency to his former defense minister, Juan Manuel Santos. The two angrily split over Santos' decision to aggressively pursue a deal with leftist rebels to end a half-century of war, a move that Uribe and his supporters say could end with guerrillas nearly crushed by his government gaining undeserved leverage over Colombia's future.
In addition to Hurtado and Moreno, Uribe's former agriculture minister has been convicted of corruption and a number of other former Cabinet officials, including his hand-picked presidential candidate in last year's elections, are also facing investigations.
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Ex-Colombian spy chief Maria del Pilar Hurtado convicted
27 February 2015 Last updated at 23:42 ET
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Former director of the Colombian security department Maria del Pilar Hurtado arrives at court in Bogota -
27 February 2015 Maria del Pilar Hurtado was granted asylum in Panama in 2010 but it was revoked last year
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The former head of Colombia's secret police, Maria del Pilar Hurtado, has been found guilty of spying on politicians, judges and journalists. The Supreme Court said Hurtado's sentence would be announced in 15 days.
Those targeted in the spying, which occurred between 2007 and 2008, were all political opponents of Alvaro Uribe, who was president at the time. His former chief of staff has also been convicted but Mr Uribe denies any knowledge of the illegal intercepts. Both Hurtado and Mr Uribe's former chief of staff, Bernardo Moreno, face more than 10 years in jail.
All nine Supreme Court justices, none of whom were among those targeted in the spying, voted in favour of the convictions.
More:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-31668851
