Colombia's Supreme Court shields Uribe investigation from controversial magistrate

[Judi Lynn]

by Adriaan Alsema August 11, 2019

Colombia’s State Council upheld a Supreme Court decision to shield all criminal investigations against former President Alvaro Uribe from a controversial magistrate.

The magistrate, former Army Major Cristina Lombana, was taken off the cases in May after press revealed she had failed to tell the court she used to work with Uribe’s defense attorney.

Opposition Senator Ivan Cepeda additionally filed a motion to recuse Lombana because she was Uribe’s subordinate when the far-right politician was president between 2002 and 2010.

Lombana appealed the decision, claiming that “the Special Pre-Trial Chamber questions my impartiality, independence, good judgment, commitment to justice, decorum, ethics, rigor and honesty. In short, it questions my credibility.”

. . .

The president’s most recent investigation is about his alleged tampering of witnesses who have testified he formed paramilitary death squad when he was governor of the Antioquia province.

Other investigations include the former president’s alleged ties to paramilitary organization AUC, two massacres and the assassinations of multiple human rights defenders.

More:
https://colombiareports.com/colombias-supreme-court-shields-uribe-investigation-from-controversial-magistrate/