U Party senator arrested over paramilitary ties .

[Judi Lynn]

U Party senator arrested over paramilitary ties
Tuesday, 30 August 2011 22:45
Adriaan Alsema

Coalition U Party Senator Fuad Rapag was arrested in Bogota Tuesday for allegedly having received money from paramilitaries to finance his political aspirations.

The arrest took place after Colombia's Supreme Court ruled there was merit in opening a case against the sitting senator for his allleged ties to the Tolima bloc of the now defunct paramilitary organization AUC.

The high court decided to crminally prosecute the senator because of the testimony of a paramilitary who had said Rapag had connections to paramilitary leader "Carlos Tijeras."

Rapag is one of dozens of Colombian lawmakers implicated in the so-called 'parapolitics" scandal. So far, more than 30 congressmen have been sentenced to prison for having used their ties to paramilitary groups to be elected into office.

http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/18676-senator-arrested-for-paramilitary-ties.html