Other nine hours, former president Álvaro Uribe was taken to deny the prosecution’s accusation, that points to lead a witness manipulation strategy. For the second consecutive day, he reported how his then lawyer, Diego Cadena, ended up interviewing former prisoners and how those statements were sent to the Supreme Court.
In the trial he faces for a year, the ex -president insisted on his version, always known, this time in detail. That did not order “buy” witnesses It is the axis on which extensive stories of episodes with exparamilitaries are detached; Your lawyer chain; Delivery of money; Office of telephone benefits and interceptions.
Also read: Hard clash between the Prosecutor and Lawyer Jaime Granados during interrogation of former President Uribe
Scenarios on which the prosecution has based its accusation, claiming that the former president is condemned for leading an illegal strategy with which, supposedly, he sought to get out well freed of a long -standing judicial mess with Senator Iván Cepeda.
As he had promised, he attended again in person to pay his testimony. Again, very guarded by their escorts, in charge of their safety and His robust team of lawyers, in charge of his innocence and freedom.
During the statement, Uribe spoke of the extincts FARC, a until now unknown actor in this judicial plot: “Here you have to investigate one thing, and it is to what extent the Farc were in this trap. I would feel very bad if I do not say it, and also those close to the FARC,” he said.
This statement follows from the chapter related to Deyanira Gómez, ex -wife of Juan Guillermo Monsalve, the so -called prosecutor’s witness.
According to Uribe, Monsalve was ready to retract from having related it to the Metro de las Autodefense Block: “He was going to retract, but his wife did not allow it.”
In social networks, versions of Deyanira’s links with the extinct FARC have circulated. However, about this statement there is no confirmation by the competent authorities.
The woman, on the other hand, once ended up in the process, He was exiled from the country alleging fear for his life and that of his children.
“In addition to material attacks, I have received judicial and political political attacks. Here there was an attack of people close to the FARC who wanted to take me to jail in the midst of that electoral process (2018) “Uribe said to insist that a plot was created against him.
Day two
The defense, headed by lawyer Jaime Granados, revealed one of the conversations that the Supreme Court managed to intercept between Diego Cadena and the former president.
During the talk, the lawyer said he met with the witness Juan Guillermo Monsalve in the La Picota prison.
It was on March 26, 2018. In the audios, Cadena states that the witness will write a letter of his handwriting in which he will rectify the accusations against the former president.
“He (Monsalve) commands to apologize and He said he was the victim of a false illusion by that senator (Iván Cepeda). He says he was pressured and that any help offered him, as a convicted person, was going to be worth gold, ”he heard to say chain.
-Been: The six key moments of Juan Guillemo Monsalve’s testimony at the trial of Uribe
–¿But it is clear that we are not offering any prebend in exchange for your testimony? – Uribe asks.
-Absolutely.
The intercepted calls, which the defense has described as illegal, are numerous. In another conversation revealed at the trial, Cadena tells Uribe that the Monsalve retraction letter was ready and that it only remained to pick it up in La Picota prison.
– “Do you want me to file it in court or do you prefer that we give it to Granados?” – chain.
Uribe orders him to proceed to the Court and send him two copies of the original letter. “My interest was always that the Court had knowledge of all the elements, in its original state, without leaks. That is why it hurts me so much that they accuse me of procedural fraud ”, Uribe explained when contextualizing the audios.
That clarification was repeated in several sections of his long testimony. For example, When referring to an episode of 2012 in Pacho, Cundinamarca.
He said that, during a political event, a man approached him and appeared as demobilized. The subject, according to Uribe, told him that the then Magistrate Iván Velásquez and Senator Iván Cepeda had made offers to declare against him.
“I am rewarded by a young, fornid man, with more brown complex I received what I had to tell me, ”he said.
Followed by that statement, Granados asked to reveal the recording of a call in which Uribe tells his then member of the UTL, Fabián Rojas, who had held the conversation with the man – who identified as Hamilton Mosquera – And please take the statement to send it to the office of Judge José Luis Barceló, of the Supreme Court of Justice.
It was then that the expressorHe wondered why they accuse him of witnessing if, according to him, he only tried to verify information.
“I do not make decisions to go looking for witnesses; I send to me when I get those information. Normal, by God, in such a difficult political situation, my eagerness to defend my honor, my freedom, reputation, my family’s name … How am I not going to send verify? The country has to be very clear, Madam Judge – and I repeat it to you with all due respect – I did not send witnesses; I sent to verify information that came to me about prisoners to those who would have offered benefits to accuse me, ”he insisted.
Throughout his statement, he defended, in addition to his innocence, that of his lawyer Diego Cadena, who also faces a trial for witnesses.
He acknowledged that he met several inmates, but said it was in order to verify information about the supposed plot.
After an extensive day, lawyer Jaime Granados asked to suspend. He affirmed that his interrogation will end this Wednesday. Subsequently, the prosecutor’s turn will come.
