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Senators will denounce nine generals involved in the case of illegal espionage carried out by the Army against journalists, politicians and defenders.
“We are going to denounce the nine generals (…) and we are going to send this information to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. We will also make an audit request to the Comptroller on the assets of these generals,” said Senator Iván Cepeda.
The congressman referred to his intervention during a debate on political control held in the Second Committee of the Senate regarding computer espionage.
Among those denounced is General Nicacio Martínez, who, according to Cepeda, as Army director knew of these cases. Furthermore, under “his command, the counterintelligence apparatus against internal corruption became the criminal intelligence apparatus.”
Government officials, including Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo, were also summoned to this debate to explain the espionage scandal.
The others are: Colonels Juan Pablo Prado Torres, Julio Tobías López Cuadros, Helmon René Ramos Naranjo, Milton Eugenio Rozo Regado and Hugo Armando Díaz Hernández. In addition to the elders Eduardo de la Torres Díaz, Hernán Rolando Villamil Ortegón and Mauricio Quintero Arias.
They will denounce nine generals involved in the espionage case
My intervention in the debate on political control over the relationship between Operation Bastón and the criminal intelligence apparatus that was created in the Army against peace, the political opposition and human rights, https://t.co/EcykErDUdn via @Youtube
– Iván Cepeda Castro (@IvanCepedaCast) May 13, 2020
The actions
Cepeda added that they will also inform “the congressmen of the United States in what their funds are being invested in Colombia.” According to the allegations, elements delivered by that country to Colombia for intelligence work were used in the operation. This, in order to combat crimes such as drug trafficking.
According to the investigation “The secret folders”, published on May 1 by Semana magazine, between February and December 2019, members of the Army spied on at least 130 people, including journalists, politicians, human rights defenders and even officials of the high Government.
Defense of the Government
For his part, Minister Trujillo appreciated the debate cited by the senators. He assured that the situation concerns the country that must be informed, especially because it has to do with security.
“This is a matter of national interest. It is a matter of national interest because it has to do with the security of Colombia and it has to do with the institutionality that is the basis of stability,” he said.
He recalled that President Duque’s policy is “zero tolerance” for those who do not comply with the law.
Regarding the espionage scandal, the Army gave information to the prosecutor on Monday about the case. In this sense, the Army expressed “its willingness to collaborate with the Office of the Prosecutor. That this allows it to contribute to the clarification of the facts and to the investigation of individual responsibilities.”
On May 4, the Prosecutor’s Office summoned retired General Martínez, commander of the institution, during the months of the computer operation.
On that occasion, the attorney general, Francisco Barbosa, said that the data revealed by Semana, “which would account for other illegal acts, will be incorporated into the investigation being carried out by the prosecutor-delegate before the Supreme Court of Justice.”
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