Neo-paramilitary group's payroll includes high-ranking officials

[gbscar]

Neo-paramilitary group's payroll includes high-ranking officials
Friday, 12 August 2011 10:37
Natalie Dalton

Two bodyguards belonging to "Los Rastrojos" gang released payroll records that reveal the payoffs the gang paid to military, police, DAS, and investigative forces throughout Colombia, reported El Tiempo newspaper.

Following the assassination of the notorious Los Rastrojos gang leader "Sebastian," in July by his two bodyguards, aliases "El Negro" and "Guadaña," the two decided to submit exclusive payroll records that document to which officials and organizations, and where the pay-offs were given.

According to these records, between October 2010 and January 2011, various officers received over $500,000 for "offering their services" to Sebastian, which included members of the national investigative force, military, DAS intelligence agency, and the Colombian police.

<...>

El Negro and Guadaña asserted that "it was impossible to work undercover in the Bajo Cauca region if it weren't for the help of officers in that area." In their confessions and documents the two men also turned in the specific names of officials and sub-officials in the Colombian police and military.

http://www.colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/18289-gang-payroll-includes-high-ranking-colombian-officials.html

[rabs]

1. Appears the honeymoon could be over for Santos

During the first year of Santos' administration, the major scandals (DAS, Agro, false positives, Dian, etc.) weer laid at the freet of Alvaro Uribe.

But note the dates in the story, Oct. 2010 and Jan. 2011. That is smack dab into the Santos presidency.

Eventually the Santos administration is going to have to take responsibility for the mischief that is still occurring (the recent revelation by AG Viviane Morales that U$S 8 billion is being laundered yearly in Colombia comes to mind).

Will be interesting to see if the Santos government puts on trial the (unnamed) military and police officials implicated by El Negro and Guadana.

(It would have been helpful had the CR story explained WHY El Negro and Guadana decided to snitch. If they are not under protective custody, they are dead men.)

[Judi Lynn]

2. It would be worthwhile knowing what moved these two to snitch.

They clearly know they are in a tough spot, trying so hard to keep their faces away from the cameras.

Sure hope their effort doesn't go in vain.

[gbscar]

3. You're right, but neither that money laundering scheme nor this bribing of policemen are isolated

"El Negro" and "Guadaña" have concrete records for bribes paid between October 2010 and January 2011, but I'm sure they weren't acting alone and others in their criminal organization have also been doing the same thing, quite possibly for any length of time.

The structural connections between illegal groups and the establishment that have allowed both such mass bribing and mass money laundering to reach those astounding levels aren't exactly the sort of thing that can be developed in just five or six months.

You can develop new links to specific officers in that time or less, yes, but organizing the entire scheme? I'd be astonished if the practice didn't go further back. In fact, it doesn't take too much effort to find similar scandals in the past, both recent and not.

So let's get back to the main point. I agree, the evidence for both cases does include information concerning the first year of the Santos administration, which is something that he must indeed take responsibility for and, more importantly, ensure that the implicated individuals are properly prosectured and not left off the hook. That's precisely what remains to be seen.

[naaman fletcher]

4. Perhaps

But maybe he could consult his friend Hugo, who is not responsible for a single bad thing that has happened in Venezuela for the past ten years.