In his statement, the ex -president renounced his right to remain silent, and was the first to climb on the stage on the day that began the evidence of the defense that, as it transpired, includes at least 70 appearing parties.
Uribe denied knowing Juan Guillermo Monsalve, considered the star witness of the judicial process, an exparamilitar who claims to have received offers of prebendas for denying his statements that the former governor would have been involved in the emergence of paramilitary movements at the end of the last century and beginnings of it.
He also rejected to have links with Pablo Hernán Sierra, aka «Pipintá», another alleged member of the Metro of the United Self -Defense Forces of Colombia, who in a previous testimony assured that the former president was involved in the conformation of the mentioned armed groups.
He also dismissed Uribe having started some type of business with Santiago Gallón, the exparamilitar and drug trafficker indicated to create a security company called El Condor, and who apparently hid his illegal activities under the pretext of being a living together.
Living together was the name given to groups of self -defense and private security cooperatives that progressively muttered until they were merchant with paramilitary structures in the country.
Yes, the accused recognized that during his term as governor of Antioquia (1995-1997) he granted the granting of legal status to these structures, under the requirements established by the Superintendence of Surveillance.
“In Colombia there were 700 living and in Antioquia we had 69, of them four had problems already removed the legal status,” he said.
The criminal trial, which began on February 10, is the first of its kind against an ex -president in the history of the nation.
Now he travels through the probative stage of the defense, after last week he concluded the corresponding to the accusing party.
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