"Little Uribe" ordered held in calaboose

[rabs]

Chew that pen, Little Uribe


Within the past hour, Judge ordered Felipe Arias held in the slammer while his responsibilities in the AIS (agricultural ministry program) scandal are evaluated. No announcement of how long he will be in the hoosegow.

Arias was uribe's minister of agriculture when the scandal broke a couple of years ago. (Think Arias is the first of alvaro uribe's cabinet members sent to jail.)

"Little Uribe," as he is known, was alvaro uribe's pick to succeed him the presidency, saying that Arias was "an improved version of myself." That was shortly before the AIS scandal blew Arias' potential candidacy.

Expect uribito will be tweeting shortly protesting how life is unfair.

---------------------
Edit to add TV report (Spanish) and listen to the applause following the verdict.

http://www.elespectador.com/node/287261

Arias will be jailed in Bogota's infamous La Picota prison, where several others former ag. ministry officials implicated in the AIS scandal already are jailed.



------------------

It was a sad morning for many Colombia. Famed salsero (salsa singer) Joe Arroyo died.

But to many Colombians, it was a happy afternoon, Arias was ordered jailed.

[rabs]

1. Colombia Reports version (English)

Off to jail he goes.

Ex-Minister of Agriculture Arias sent to jail in subsidy corruption case Tuesday, 26 July 2011 17:02 Matt Snyder

Former agricultural minister Andres Felipe Arias was incarcerated Tuesday for the length of his trial as a Colombian judge found him "preliminarily guilty" of embezzling millions of dollars in agricultural subsidies.

Arias is accused of embezzling $25 million through the Agro Ingresso Seguro (AIS), a government program charged with providing subsidies to struggling farmers.

Judge Orlando Fierro who issued the verdict said that he believed Arias had control over the AIS subsidies through a contract that did not allow a public bidding process and did not comply with the law. He also commented that Arias could very well be guilty of the crimes of which he is accused.

http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/17891-ex-minister-of-agriculture-arias-sent-to-jail-for-duration-of-trial.html

[naaman fletcher]

2. Santos continues to clean house.

He's shaping up to be a great president.

[Judi Lynn]

3. So there was a big turnout to see Uribito got a good send-off to La Picota!

What a great hand they gave him! And a fond embrace from his wife. He must be such a happy Uribe pal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2dqgUkJOvs

Appreciated your use of various names assigned to corrective institutions. Woohoo. Too bad he won't get a chance to meet a wide variety of prisoners while enjoying La Picota's hospitality. Must be like our country club prisons for notable scum here, like the Watergate criminals, etc.

Looked up Joe Arroyo. Saw he has lived in Barranquilla a long time, was a big name. I can see why he will be missed, after hearing La Rebelion, etc. already. Saw he had really bad health a long time before he shut down on Tuesday. Very large talent.

[Bacchus39]

4. "So there was a big turnout to see Uribito..." look at the video at the 5 second mark

but then again Colombia doesn't prosecute crimes either do they??

[Judi Lynn]

5. Ex-Minister Arias transferred to military detention facility for 'security reasons' .

Ex-Minister Arias transferred to military detention facility for 'security reasons'
Wednesday, 27 July 2011 11:15
Travis Mannon

Recently incarcerated former Agriculture Minister Andres Felipe Arias will be transferred to a military detention center amid concerns for his safety, various media reported Wednesday.

Judicial authorities and Colombia's prison authority INPEC have decided that Arias will spend the remainder of his trial for his alleged part in an agriculture subsidy scandal at a military facility in Canton Norte in Bogota.

Prosecutor General Viviane Morales confirmed that after being ordered to spend the duration of his trial in La Picota prison, Arias requested that he be transferred for fear of his life.

He was also relocated due to concerns about him interacting with other people involved in the scandal who are also being incarcerated at La Picota, newspaper El Espectador reported. The minister was accused Tuesday of obstruction of justice for visiting prisoners implicated in the scandal.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/17904-ex-minister-arias-transferred-to-military-detention-facility-for-security-reasons.html

[Judi Lynn]

6. Uribe claims judicial conspiracy against Arias

Uribe claims judicial conspiracy against Arias
Wednesday, 27 July 2011 16:47
Travis Mannon

Former President Alvaro Uribe insisted that his ex-Agricultural Minister Andres Felipe Arias "did not steal." He implied that Arias' incarceration is part of a conspiracy within the judicial branch.

In a statement posted on Uribe's Twitter, the former president reiterated the innocence of his protege Arias.

"He did not steal. He conceived Agro Ingreso Seguro (AIS) so that the national agriculture could be competitive in the context of trade agreements with countries of high subsidies... Arias never had in mind the interests of any particular person."

Uribe also doubted the legitimacy of the court's presumption that Arias visited people in prison who were implicated in the AIS scandal for malicious reasons. He said the court did not consider Arias innocent until proven guilty.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/17917-uribe-claims-judicial-conspiracy-against-arias.html

http://4.bp.blogspot.com.nyud.net:8090/-d9r4JQwg85w/TgiOd_tSWMI/AAAAAAAAC4Q/dja7cgb9ikU/s1600/Alvaro%2BUribe.jpg http://cache.daylife.com.nyud.net:8090/imageserve/03xM0iObah5US/340x.jpg

[rabs]

7. Just as I figured, uribito would be tweeting

but it took him a little longer than I thought.

I assume that Judge Fierro and the federal prosecutor overseeing the case against Arias, Viviane Morales, have been assigned additional police protection.

http://cache.daylife.com.nyud.net:8090/imageserve/03xM0iObah5US/340x.jpg
uribito sure looks like a mafioso in this photo. I can almost hear the "Godfather" musical theme.

[Judi Lynn]

8. You've got a point there. Didn't see it until I found a photo of his cousin Alvaro Capone.

[Judi Lynn]

9. Joe Aroyo: The Great Latin American Singer: Who Carries The Torch?

The Great Latin American Singer: Who Carries The Torch?
04:49 pm July 28, 2011
by Jasmine Garsd

This month we lost two of my favorite musicians, Argentine folk icon Facundo Cabral and Colombian salsa legend Joe Arroyo. They made very different music, but had a commonality: They told Latin American stories that are often silenced. They addressed issues such as the violence that permeates Latin America, the brutal treatment of Afro-Latinos and the stories of everyday working people.

Earlier this month we reported on the tragic murder of Cabral. He became famous during the '70s, when so much of Latin America was under the tight grip of repressive dictatorships. He belonged to a school of musicians who spoke truth to power and were often faced with exile, such as Brazil's Chico Buarque or Spain's Joan Manuel Serrat. Many others, like Victor Jara in Chile, did not live to tell their tales.

report of Cabral's death had us flooded with reader comments. Some were reactions to the senselessness of his killing. Veronica Perez wrote, "What a great loss ... how can we have faith after this?" There were also expressions of hope; as Syl Ramos wrote, "Maybe his heart was stopped, but not his spirit and legacy ... Whoever killed him allowed many people around the world to remember and learn from him once again, today."

And then a few days later I got an e-mail from my mother explaining what Cabral meant to her. She wrote, "it took me three days absentmindedly humming Cabral's most popular song, "No Soy De Aquí, Ni Soy De Allá" ("I Am Neither From Here Nor There"), to come to terms with what Cabral meant to my generation — a generation caught in Argentina's narrow path between 1970s fascist brutality and asphyxiating militant politics ... the audacity to sing that one does not have to belong to any one place, but rather that one should belong to all places. To sing that during a regime that defined national identity by decree: homophobic, anti-Semitic and anti-feminist ... to tell a generation that grew up under the shadow of death that identity can simply be 'to be.' Peace. Happiness."

More:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/altlatino/2011/07/28/137809159/the-great-latin-american-singer-who-carries-the-torch

[rabs]

10. The "Revolution" song by Joe Arroyo led to serious studies

about "negritude" and slavery on the northern tier of South America. Btw, "Joe" is pronounced "JO EH" (the "e" is pronounced.)

Chile also lost a well-known crooner this month, Antonio Prieto, at age 85. He recorded over 1,000 songs and played a role in the movie "A Fistful of Dollars."

Facundo Cabral, Joe Arroyo, Antonio Prieto -- all within a month. Plus Amy Winehouse.

---------------------------

OT but thought you would like to know where the AP office is housed in Caracas. Think maybe it explains why AP's coverage is skewed??

Descripción:
Agencia Internacional de Noticias y Prensa

Direcciones en Caracas de AP ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dirección: Av. Urdaneta, Esq. de Animas, Edf. EL UNIVERSAL, P-2, Ofc. D (That means Second story, Office suite D.)
Urb./Sector: La Candelaria
Teléfono: [phone] (0212)621.1500
Fax: [phone]

[Judi Lynn]

11. Thanks for the word Arroyo's name isn't just "Joe." That did seem kinda flat to me!

Appalling news, learning where AP is lodged in Caracas. It could almost make you gag.

Simply unacceptable. It's not shocking, considering the way they both handle "news" in Venezuela. Probably go for drinks together after work daily, compare notes, synchronize their spews. Ghastly.

There is a grim satisfaction which comes with learning that. Confirmation. That leaves us with so much less to respect, if possible.

Thanks for the unexpected info. It's good to know.

http://letustalk.files.wordpress.com.nyud.net:8090/2008/12/office-party.jpg

AP Latam writer

[rabs]

12. The AP: Roses in a bed of manure

Several years ago when I found out the AP was in the same building that houses El Universal, there was a blogger (think he was from NarcoNews) who described the situation.

He said that to expect objective reporting by the AP from Caracas while its office was in El Universal was akin to "expecting to grow sweet-scented roses planted in a bed of manure."


(edit grammar)

[rabs]

13. alvarito has tweeted that Arias' family has been threatened

and that Arias' wife had been robbed. No proof, of course.

Media reports earlier said the family had been harrassed and might have to leave the country. That was denied by Interior Minister German Vargas, who said the family is being protected and there is no need for them to abandon Colombia.

Arias and his wife have two little girls.

[Judi Lynn]

14. Yes, his wife has been robbed of her husband's presence.

That's no one's fault but his own.

Maybe the right wing Colombian crime family will be taking care of her to make sure he doesn't testify against Uribe, in a moment of even greater weakness.