Page 13 - Aruba Today 25 April 2015
P. 13
A12
WORLD NEWSSaturday 25 April 2015
Professional liars are undermining justice in Colombia
JACOBO GARCIA Colombia’s Senator Luis Fernando Velasco talks to the press outside Congress in Bogota, Colom- in jail for battlefield crimes.
Associated Press bia, Thursday, April 23, 2015. Velasco was forced to temporarily abandon his Senate seat and was But sentences could be
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — behind bars when his father suffered a heart attack. After four months in jail, prosecutors deter- sharply reduced if they im-
Sen. Luis Fernando Velas- mined it was all a set up and his accusers had been paid by his political enemies to testify against plicated higher-ups or of-
co’s life began to unravel him. Velasco was set free, and the lawyer and his accusers were arrested. ficials, creating a strong
in 2008 when a lawyer ap- incentive to provide false
peared before prosecutors (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) testimony.
and accused him of con- Testimony by former com-
spiring with leftist rebels to room to courtroom. The latest reversal took with the rebels. batants led prosecutors to
coerce voters to support So entrenched is the prob- place this week, when Co- “The false witnesses are a open investigations into
him. lem, the country’s chief lombia’s Supreme Court cancer on the justice sys- more than 100 congress-
His good name tarnished, prosecutor set up a special absolved TV anchor An- tem,” Ramirez told The As- men for allegedly assisting
Velasco was forced to tem- task force two years ago to gelica Ramirez, who spent sociated Press, recounting the right-wing militias. Only
porarily abandon his Sen- comb over the evidence in three years in jail after her how she was abused by about a third of those law-
ate seat and was behind 3,000 cases where perjury is ex-husband, with the tes- other prisoners. “My life was makers were convicted.
bars when his father suf- suspected. So far, around timony of a demobilized destroyed.” The problem has now
fered a heart attack. After 100 cases have been over- guerrilla, falsely accused Concern about the integ- spread beyond politics,
four months in jail, prosecu- turned. her of plotting terrorist acts rity of Colombia’s courts with false witnesses offering
tors determined it was all a comes at a sensitive time carefully prepared “eye-
set up and his accusers had for the government, which witness accounts” in do-
been paid by his political is trying to negotiate peace mestic disputes and mur-
enemies to testify against with leftist rebels. Key to der trials for anywhere be-
him. Velasco was set free, the two-year-old talks is tween $2,000 and $20,000,
and the lawyer and his ac- entrusting judges to ferret depending on a client’s
cusers were arrested. out the truth in thousands ability to pay and the vic-
The senator’s ordeal high- of killings, kidnappings and tim’s profile, said Amanda
lights a spreading problem war crimes involving rebels Cetina, a member of the
undermining trust in Co- as well as military units. If chief prosecutor’s special
lombia’s criminal justice faith in the courts is lost, the unit.Q“The natural place
system: professional liars peace process would be for recruitment (of false wit-
paid and often groomed at risk. nesses) is inside the jails,”
by corrupt lawyers to testify “If a peace deal is reached, Cetina said.
in court. Authorities have common criminals will try While jailhouse confessions
taken to calling it the “car- to present themselves as are considered unreliable
tel of false witnesses,” with guerrillas to win benefits,” in many countries, Colom-
paid liars sometimes testify- said Luis Gustavo Moreno, bian prosecutors attribute
ing in dozens of cases at a author of a new book on great value on the testi-
time, parading from court- the phenomenon called mony of prison snitches be-
“The False Witness.” ‘’How cause criminality is so wide-
will they do it? By accus- spread but few capos are
ing politicians of being their ever punished. It is one of
bosses.” their few effective tools to
Legal experts trace the get a conviction.
false-witness phenomenon False witnesses are
to a previous peace ac- coached by lawyers, in
cord that brought the sur- some cases even taking
render a decade ago of acting classes so they don’t
30,000 paramilitary fighters. misspeak on the stand,
Under a 2005 legal frame- Moreno says.
work for the demobilization, “Witnesses learn to lie in
former combatants faced court as if they were recit-
a maximum of eight years ing a recipe book,” he said.
Perhaps the best-known re-
versal because of perjury is
that of politician Sigifredo
Lopez. He was kidnapped
in 2002, along with 11 other
regional lawmakers, when
rebels raided the state leg-
islature in the city of Cali.
Lopez was released in 2009,
escaping the fate of his fel-
low captives who the gov-
ernment says were killed by
the rebels.
But Lopez’s freedom was
short lived. Three years lat-
er, he was detained and
accused by prosecutors of
complicity with the rebels in
the abduction and slaying
of his colleagues.q
WORLD NEWSSaturday 25 April 2015
Professional liars are undermining justice in Colombia
JACOBO GARCIA Colombia’s Senator Luis Fernando Velasco talks to the press outside Congress in Bogota, Colom- in jail for battlefield crimes.
Associated Press bia, Thursday, April 23, 2015. Velasco was forced to temporarily abandon his Senate seat and was But sentences could be
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — behind bars when his father suffered a heart attack. After four months in jail, prosecutors deter- sharply reduced if they im-
Sen. Luis Fernando Velas- mined it was all a set up and his accusers had been paid by his political enemies to testify against plicated higher-ups or of-
co’s life began to unravel him. Velasco was set free, and the lawyer and his accusers were arrested. ficials, creating a strong
in 2008 when a lawyer ap- incentive to provide false
peared before prosecutors (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) testimony.
and accused him of con- Testimony by former com-
spiring with leftist rebels to room to courtroom. The latest reversal took with the rebels. batants led prosecutors to
coerce voters to support So entrenched is the prob- place this week, when Co- “The false witnesses are a open investigations into
him. lem, the country’s chief lombia’s Supreme Court cancer on the justice sys- more than 100 congress-
His good name tarnished, prosecutor set up a special absolved TV anchor An- tem,” Ramirez told The As- men for allegedly assisting
Velasco was forced to tem- task force two years ago to gelica Ramirez, who spent sociated Press, recounting the right-wing militias. Only
porarily abandon his Sen- comb over the evidence in three years in jail after her how she was abused by about a third of those law-
ate seat and was behind 3,000 cases where perjury is ex-husband, with the tes- other prisoners. “My life was makers were convicted.
bars when his father suf- suspected. So far, around timony of a demobilized destroyed.” The problem has now
fered a heart attack. After 100 cases have been over- guerrilla, falsely accused Concern about the integ- spread beyond politics,
four months in jail, prosecu- turned. her of plotting terrorist acts rity of Colombia’s courts with false witnesses offering
tors determined it was all a comes at a sensitive time carefully prepared “eye-
set up and his accusers had for the government, which witness accounts” in do-
been paid by his political is trying to negotiate peace mestic disputes and mur-
enemies to testify against with leftist rebels. Key to der trials for anywhere be-
him. Velasco was set free, the two-year-old talks is tween $2,000 and $20,000,
and the lawyer and his ac- entrusting judges to ferret depending on a client’s
cusers were arrested. out the truth in thousands ability to pay and the vic-
The senator’s ordeal high- of killings, kidnappings and tim’s profile, said Amanda
lights a spreading problem war crimes involving rebels Cetina, a member of the
undermining trust in Co- as well as military units. If chief prosecutor’s special
lombia’s criminal justice faith in the courts is lost, the unit.Q“The natural place
system: professional liars peace process would be for recruitment (of false wit-
paid and often groomed at risk. nesses) is inside the jails,”
by corrupt lawyers to testify “If a peace deal is reached, Cetina said.
in court. Authorities have common criminals will try While jailhouse confessions
taken to calling it the “car- to present themselves as are considered unreliable
tel of false witnesses,” with guerrillas to win benefits,” in many countries, Colom-
paid liars sometimes testify- said Luis Gustavo Moreno, bian prosecutors attribute
ing in dozens of cases at a author of a new book on great value on the testi-
time, parading from court- the phenomenon called mony of prison snitches be-
“The False Witness.” ‘’How cause criminality is so wide-
will they do it? By accus- spread but few capos are
ing politicians of being their ever punished. It is one of
bosses.” their few effective tools to
Legal experts trace the get a conviction.
false-witness phenomenon False witnesses are
to a previous peace ac- coached by lawyers, in
cord that brought the sur- some cases even taking
render a decade ago of acting classes so they don’t
30,000 paramilitary fighters. misspeak on the stand,
Under a 2005 legal frame- Moreno says.
work for the demobilization, “Witnesses learn to lie in
former combatants faced court as if they were recit-
a maximum of eight years ing a recipe book,” he said.
Perhaps the best-known re-
versal because of perjury is
that of politician Sigifredo
Lopez. He was kidnapped
in 2002, along with 11 other
regional lawmakers, when
rebels raided the state leg-
islature in the city of Cali.
Lopez was released in 2009,
escaping the fate of his fel-
low captives who the gov-
ernment says were killed by
the rebels.
But Lopez’s freedom was
short lived. Three years lat-
er, he was detained and
accused by prosecutors of
complicity with the rebels in
the abduction and slaying
of his colleagues.q
