Álvaro Uribe: Monsalve’s former lawyer speaks of magistrate Barceló and the Farc – Investigative Unit

The criminal lawyer Héctor Romero Agudelo was until a few months ago the defender of Juan Guillermo Monsalve, the so-called star witness in the case against Álvaro Uribe for alleged bribery of witnesses and procedural fraud.

For this reason, he was called to give a sworn statement, on February 8, by the prosecutor in the case, Gabriel Jaimes, in a day where he was asked both about his client and his ex-wife: Deyanira Gomez.

(We invite you to read: What the Prosecutor’s Office found in the witness computer against Á. Uribe)

Contrary to what happened with Diego Cadena, Uribe’s ex-attorney, who used professional secrecy not to answer, Romero (62 years old), provided abundant information about his client.

EL TIEMPO established that the investigators of the case were struck by the fact that Romero spoke of Deyanira Gómez. He began by ensuring that she had taken several processes, for at least 15 years. This newspaper established that, apparently, the lawyer is married to a close friend of Deyanira.

(You may be interested in: the computer of witness against Uribe who reviews the Prosecutor’s Office owns it)

And she explained that it was she who asked her to take charge of the Monsalve case, today in charge of the criminal investigator Miguel Ángel del Río.

Romero assured that the father of Deyanira Gómez’s eldest daughter was prosecuted for murder, as a member of the FARC. And he assured that he handled two files against him in Neiva, and that for those facts he was convicted: He was from the farc of the group from the Tolima area, ahead of Chaparral (listen to the audio).

“I distinguished her about 15 years ago, at least, due to a circumstance in a criminal process. She wanted me to take her (…) He was the father of her eldest daughter. He was in criminal proceedings for homicide. At this moment I do not remember the name (…) The crimes for which they were accusing him were allegedly committed as a guerrilla, of the Farc, of those who worked in the Tolima area, ahead of Chaparral. Then I brought him the father’s succession process, “he explained.

(others: The video in which the mafia file mentions Diego Cadena)

EL TIEMPO consulted databases and established that, with a resolution of February 1, 2017, Gómez’s ex-partner was accredited as a member of the former FARC, from Front 21: Elver Penagos Tabera, who would have participated in the taking of
township of Puerto Saldaña, municipality of Rioblanco, occurred at
early April 2000.

The asylum

And although the statement was about his connection with Monsalve, the lawyer said that Deyanira Gómez also helped him process applications for his protection, specifically before the Supreme Court.

(In context: The letters of the prosecutor Jaimes to request the preclusion of the Uribe case)

“The magistrate who conducted the investigation collaborated with us and gave him protection,” Romero declared. And she explained that Deyanira herself told her that Judge José Luis Barceló was the one who collaborated with them throughout the protection and asylum process.

“I know that the Colombian government helped her to leave the country legally (Deyanira). But as a protected person (…) She was in permanent communication with the magistrate who was handling the case of Dr. Uribe, he was the one who collaborated the most to make him protection (sic). But I would not know exactly the already factual part in which they did all the intervention (…) She was in contact with Dr. Barceló, “he said.

(We invite you to read: In the spotlight, magistrate who put Álvaro Uribe on the ropes)

According to him, none of the documents were signed by him as a lawyer, but his job was to write the letters and send them to Deyanira Gomez for the corresponding procedures.

Poisoning

“A memorial was prepared, it was presented and the result was that she was given protection (…) initially she presented it on her behalf before … I don’t know exactly. She told me that she was in contact with the magistrate ( …) No document was in my name “, explained the lawyer.

And then he said that he asked Monsalve for protection measures, “because they were supposedly trying to cause his death in the La Picota prison“And he added that later he did the management when the wife was threatened.

“They tried to poison him in jail. That is what they told me and that is why they asked that they allow him to enter the food so that he could prepare it himself,” said Romero.

Prosecutor 11 insisted on asking him the supports of the protection measures and the risk that Monsalve was running.

‘What was the threat?’ And the lawyer said that he was unaware of the circumstances of manner, time and place and that this was an investigation carried out by Inpec.

He also asked him for details about the episode in which Deyanira was attacked by two motorcycles, when she was traveling through race 30.

JEP and Cadena

The lawyer Romero also referred to the lawyer Diego Cadena, called to trial by the Prosecutor’s Office for bribery of witnesses and procedural fraud.

According to him, Diego Cadena arrived at the jail one day and greeted Juan Guillermo Monsalve. At that meeting, he says, they discussed the possibility that they would help him enter the JEP. But Romero said that he considered that it was not viable because none of the crimes for which he had been convicted had a connection with the paramilitaries: “The meeting lasted 45 minutes, an hour (…) They never informed me why it arrived Cadena, not I asked (…) I don’t know how it arrived or how Cadena was contacted (…) but he endorsed my concept “.

And he added that he did not know what Cadena was going to receive in exchange for that concept. In addition, he assured that that day Monsalve was not offered money and added: “That I remember, Uribe was not mentioned.” And he said that he cannot certify that they had been offered to get Monsalve out of jail, to testify in favor of Uribe, as Deyanira Gómez told him.

(You may be interested: Who is Gabriel Jaimes, the man who asks to exclude the Uribe case?)

Romero’s statements are being evaluated by the team of prosecutor Gabriel Jaimes who prepares the hearing in which he will have to support the request for the preclusion of the process against Uribe.

Although the Supreme Court found elements to file charges and order an assurance measure, for Jaimes there is no evidence that Uribe was the author of the bribery of witnesses and procedural fraud.

INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
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