Colombia’s former intelligence chief on trial over 1989 murder of presidential candidate

Source: Colombia Reports

Colombia’s former intelligence chief on trial over 1989 murder of presidential candidate
Posted by Matthew Dancis on Jun 1, 2015

The former head of Colombia’s now-defunct intelligence agency DAS will go on trial for helping orchestrate the murder of a powerful presidential candidate during Pablo Escobar’s reign.

The accused, General Miguel Maza, has fully denied all accusations of his involvement in the murder of Liberal Party presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan, who was killed in front of thousands of spectators during a speech in his 1989 presidential campaign.

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Galan was favored to win the 1990 election, as he was an outspoken opponent to drug trafficking. He campaigned on the formation of an extradition treaty with the USA, and thus found himself a target of organized crime networks throughout Colombia. Cartels often enjoyed privileged treatment in Colombian prisons, thus legitimizing the threat of extradition.

. . .

This will be the second time Maza goes on trial for conspiring in Galan’s death. He was also in court in 2012 for the same crime. According to the prosecution, the former DAS director was responsible for “serious omissions” in Galan’s security plan, despite repeated death threats from drug cartels.

Read more: http://colombiareports.com/colombias-former-intelligence-chief-on-trial-over-1989-murder-on-presidential-candidate/