Chronology of events related to Colombia's "parapolitics" scandal
Created by colombiareports on Feb 20, 2011
Last updated: 09/07/12 at 05:02 AM
Tags: Colombia parapolitics
Colombia's Supreme Court orders the criminal investigation of six congressman and six former congressmen over their alleged ties to a paramilitary group.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/25918-court-order-criminal-investigation-against-12-more-ex-congressmen-for-ties-to-paramilitary-goup.html
Former AUC commander H.H. testifies from the U.S. that former President and then-governor Alvaro Uribe maintained contact with AUC leader Carlos Castaño through beepers.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/25032-uribe-conspired-with-paramilitary-auc-commander.html
Former representative Luis Fernando Almario is arrested to await his parapolitics trial in jail
Colombia's Inspector General's Office begins a preliminary investigation into alleged ties between Housing Minister German Vargas Lleras and jailed paramilitary warlord "Martin Llanos."
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/24929-colombian-minister-investigated-for-ties-to-warlord.html
Former senator and Colombia's former ambassador to Peru Jorge Visbal is granted bail and can await his parapolitics trial in jail.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/24930-colombian-former-ambassador-released-by-peru.html
Colombia's Supreme Court sentences former Liberal Party congressman Mario Salomon Nader to seven and a half years in prison for his ties to paramilitary group AUC.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/24364-colombian-congressman-sentenced-to-7-years-in-prison-for-paramilitary-ties.html
Former senator and recently resigned ambassador to Peru, Jorge Visval, is arrested upon arrival in Bogota while prosecutors investigate his alleged ties to paramilitary groups
Former AUC leader Salvatore Mancuso says his paramilitary organization financed the 2006 reelection of former President Alvaro Uribe. The former head of state says he will sue Mancuso for slander.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/23991-paramilitaries-financed-uribes-reelection-mancuso.html
Colombia's Supreme Court statistics show that to date 37 former congressmen and 5 governors have been convicted for ties to paramilitaries. 139 investigations are ongoing and three congressmen were absolved of charges.
Colombian congressman Ivan Cepeda files criminal charges against former President Alvaro Uribe for the former head of state's alleged role in the formation of a paramilitary group in the 1990s.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/23363-uribe-formally-accused-of-forming-paramilitary-group.html
Colombia's Supreme Court sentences Colombian senator and former congress president Javier Caceres Leal to nine years in prison by for ties with paramilitary groups in the north of the country.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/23360-colombian-excongressman-jailed-for-parapolitics.html
Prosecution investigators on Tuesday arrest former Congressman Rafael Castillo accused of having had ties to paramilitary group AUC.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/22678-authorities-arrest-congressman-for-paramilitary-ties.html
A Bucaramanga judge orders release of former Senator Luis Alberto Gil and former Representative Alfonso Riaño less than two months after their conviction.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/22569-judge-orders-release-of-recently-convicted-parapolitians.html
Colombia's former executive director of the U.S.-funded counter-narcotics initiative "Plan Colombia" is called for questioning to respond to allegations she had ties with the AUC, responsible for most drug trafficking from Colombia before its 2006 demobilization.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/22317-former-plan-colombia-chief-called-for-questioning-over-drug-lord-ties.html
Miguel Angel Nule, a wealthy cattle rancher and former governor of the Sucre department is arrested allegedly for his role in the 2000 massacre of Macayepo.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/22285-former-governor-arrested-in-north-colombia.html
Former AUC commander Salvatore Mancuso tells the Colombian Supreme Court that influencing presidential elections was the paramilitaries' main objective
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/22229-influencing-the-presidential-elections-was-the-main-paramilitary-objective-mancuso.html
Colombian newspaper El Espectador releases video in which extradited drug lord "El Tuso" testifies that former President Alvaro Uribe was involved in a conspiracy with his spy agency and former paramilitary leaders to discredit the country's Supreme Court.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/22021-uribe-involved-in-das-paramilitary-conspiracy-el-tuso.html
Former Cordoba Governor Jesus Maria Lopez and former Congressmen Jose Maria Imbeth and Jose Luis Feris are sentenced to seven and a half years for participating in the Ralito Pact, a 2001 agreement between paramilitaries and politicians.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/22101-colombian-ex-congressmen-jailed-for-parapolitics-pact.html
Miguel Pinedo Vidal, the former president of the Colombian Congress is sentenced Wednesday to seven and a half years in prison for his ties to now defunct paramilitary organization the AUC.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/21933-ex-president-of-congress-given-7-years-in-jail-for-paramilitary-ties.html
Noticias Uno releases a video of a recent testimony of AUC chief "Don Berna" in which the war lord talks about a 2008 meeting between his representatives and close aides of former President Alvaro Uribe.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/21851-auc-collaborated-with-uribe-government-spy-agency-don-berna.html
Colombia's Supreme Court convicts Luis Alberto Gil, Alfonso Riaño and Oscar Josue Reyes of using the intimidation of right-wing death squads to get voted into office.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/21606-colombias-supreme-court-sends-3-ex-lawmakers-to-jail-over-links-to-rightwing-death-squads.html
Colombia's Supreme Court sentences former Senator Jairo Merlano to eight years in jail, three years after a lower judge acquitted him of parapolitics charges.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/18030-colombian-congressman-sentenced-to-8-years-for-paramilitary-ties.html
Fomer Senator Jairo Merlano is arrested for the second time for his alleged ties to paramilitary warlord "Diego Vecino." He had previously been absolved of "parapolitics" charges."
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/17989-former-colombian-senator-arrested-for-paramilitary-ties.html
Former senator Luis Alberto Gil is barred from holding public office for ties to former paramilitary group AUC and its leaders.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/17531-former-senator-barred-from-politics-for-paramilitary-ties.html
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signs the so-called Victims' Law that requires convicted politicians to compensate victims of violence of the paramilitary groups they made deals with.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/16905-santos-signs-historic-victims-law.html
Former Senator Juan Carlos Martinez is sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for his connections to the paramilitary group of "HH"
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/16828-colombian-senator-sentenced-to-75-years-for-para-politics.html
Conservative Party politician and former Congress President Luis Humberto Gomez Gallo is sentenced to nine years in jail for his ties to the Tolima Bloc of the paramilitary AUC.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/16527-colombia-former-congress-president-sentenced-to-9-years-in-jail-over-paramilitary-ties.html
Former Colombian "para-politics" Senator Mario Salomon Nader is officially charged with having ties to the AUC.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/16360-former-colombian-senator-charged-with-para-politics.html
Prosecutor General's Office to investigate Jorge Visbal Martelo, ambassador to Peru, for links to paramilitaries.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/15679-investigation-to-open-against-colombias-ambassador-to-peru-for-parapolitics.html
Former Congressman Oscar Leonidas Wilches sentenced to seven years and five months in prison for "parapolitics."
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/15630-former-congressman-sentenced-for-parapolitics-.html
Ex-congressman Luis Fernando Almario investigated
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/15111-supreme-court-opens-investigation-into-parapolitician.html
The prosecutor general's office reopens an investigation into a meeting between former AUC representatives and government officials that took place at the presidential palace, the Casa de Nariño, in Bogota, 2008.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/15123-investigation-reopens-into-2008-govt-paramilitary-meeting.html
Colombia's Supreme Court called the former governor of Cauca to trial to respond to allegations he made pacts with paramilitary death squads.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/15106-former-cauca-governor-called-to-trial-over-alleged-paramilitary-ties.html
The Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court has called the fugitive former congressman Jose Aristides Andrade to trial for his alleged involvement in the murder of a local official in northern Colombia nearly 20 years ago.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/15080-ex-congressman-wanted-for-killing-of-local-official-in-1991.html
A Colombian Congressional committee on victim reparation is considering making politicians with proven ties to paramilitary death squads partly responsible for the compensations of victims of these groups, the committee chairman tells Caracol Radio.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/15076-victims-law-proposal-to-make-parapoliticians-responsible-for-victims-reparations.html
The current ombudsman of Bogota, Francisco Rojas Birry, is accused of courting the support of paramilitaries in his 1998 senate election campaign.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/14960-bogota-ombudsman-accused-of-parapolitics.html
DAS officials arrest former Arauca Governor Julio Enrique Acosta Bernal on charges of aggravated homicide and links to paramilitary groups while in office
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/14898-parapolitics-governor-arrested-in-bogota.html
The Supreme Court sentences ex-Senator Ciro Ramirez Pinzon to seven years and six months in prison for ties to paramilitary groups.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/14840-ex-senator-sentenced-to-75-years-for-para-politics.html
Guillermo Leon Valencia Cossio sentenced to 15 years for ties to paramilitaries while chief prosecutor for Medellin
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/14825-former-chief-prosecutor-sentenced-to-15-years.html
Colombia's Prosecutor General's Office announces that it has started a preliminary investigation against former Interior and Justice Minister Sabas Pretelt de la Vega who, according to paramilitaries, asked the AUC to support the 2006 reelection of former President Alvaro Uribe.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/14679-former-minister-to-testify-on-alleged-paramilitary-ties.html
Colombia's Supreme Court on Tuesday convicted former Magdalena governor, Jose Domingo Davila Armenta, for signing the 2000 Chivolo pact with paramilitaries.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/14553-ex-governor-convicted-of-paramilitary-ties.html
Former Senator Mario Uribe, the cousin of former President Alvaro Uribe, is sentenced to seven years and six months in prison for his dealings with paramilitaries.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/14498-uribes-cousin-sentenced-parapolitics.html
The Supreme Court asks the Prosecutor General to investigate the tampering of witnesses against former Senate President Luis Humberto Gomez Gallo and former Senators Juan Carlos Martinez Sinisterra and Luis Alberto Gil after a video appears wherein Gil's lawyer is bribing a witness.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/14426-witnesses-stories-change-in-parapolitics-trials-.html
Police arrest the attorney of former Senator Luis Alberto Gil in court. The lawyer is accused of having bribed and threatened a witness in the case against Gil.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/14382-parapolitics-senators-lawyer-allegedly-caught-on-tape-bribing-witness.html
Former Colombian Senator Alvaro Araujo Castro, who was sentenced to nine and a half years in prison for ties to paramilitaries, is released on probation
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/14205-convicted-senator-parapolitics-parole.html
Colombia's Supreme Court opens an investigation against Antioquia Governor Luis Alfredo Ramos, who has been accused by "El Tuso" of having received paramilitary support in the 2002 legislative elections.
http://elespectador.com/impreso/judicial/articulo-248634-investigan-gobernador-de-antioquia
Colombia's Supreme Court says it will revise the cases against Jairo Merlano and Ciro Ramirez, who were controversially absolved of charges by a lower court and that of Miguel de la Espriella, whose previous conviction was overruled.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/13878-supreme-court-to-revise-3-parapolitics-cases.html
Extradited paramilitary chief "El Tuso" testifies for the first time before the Supreme Court and immediately accuses former Senator Mario Uribe of having received gifts.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/12166-paramilitary-chief-says-mario-uribe-received-gifts.html
Salvatore Mancuso, extradited leader of demobilized paramilitary organization AUC testifies his organization supported the 2002 campaign of former Senator Mario Uribe. Mancuso suspends his collaboration with Colombian justice immediately after the hearing.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/12126-auc-supported-mario-uribe-mancuso.html
The Supreme Court convicts former Congressman Ruben Dario Quintero, Alvaro Uribe's private secretary before 1997.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/12063-uribe-ally-convicted-for-paramilitary-ties.html
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