Colombia: President’s cousin wanted over “para-politics”

Prosecutors issued an arrest warrant against a former senator and cousin of Colombia’s president for his possible role in the “para-politics” corruption scandal. Last year, former paramilitary leaders claimed that Mario Uribe met and pledged allegiance to them, and a statement from the prosecutor’s office seems to confirm those suspicions.

Attorneys for ex-senator Uribe claim that he’s innocent though he has sought political asylum in Costa Rica. One former judge criticized the move:

Former Colombian magistrate Jose Gregorio Hernandez criticized the move to seek political asylum, and stressed it would not apply for someone who is not being persecuted in their home country for political reasons…

'Nobody is saying that he is guilty,' the former official said. 'It sounds unpleasant that he may avoid Colombian Justice just for being the president's cousin.'

The past week has seen a flurry of allegations claiming of widespread corruption in Colombia’s government; a former senior intelligence official testified that paramilitaries have influenced numerous state agencies. Meanwhile, an ex-legislator said that President Alvaro Uribe (image) offered illegal favors in exchange for amending the constitution to allow for his reelection.

Sources- Bloomberg, Associated Press, The Latin Americanist, BBC News, Monsters & Critics

Image- CNN