Ex-Colombia president's allies convicted for spying ring

Ex-Colombia president's allies convicted for spying ring

By LIBARDO CARDONA

Associated Press
February 27, 2015 Updated 3 hours ago

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia's Supreme Court on Friday convicted two close aides of former President Alvaro Uribe for organizing a spying ring that illegally intercepted the communications of some of the conservative leader's top opponents.

Maria del Pilar Hurtado, the former head of Colombia's intelligence agency, and Bernardo Moreno, Uribe's chief of staff, were both found guilty of several crimes including conspiracy. They each face more than 10 years in jail.

The judicial noose has been slowly tightening around Uribe's inner circle since the staunch U.S. ally stepped down in 2010, handing the presidency to his former defense minister, Juan Manuel Santos. The two angrily split over Santos' decision to aggressively pursue a deal with leftist rebels to end a half-century of war, a move that Uribe and his supporters say could end with guerrillas nearly crushed by his government gaining undeserved leverage over Colombia's future.

In addition to Hurtado and Moreno, Uribe's former agriculture minister has been convicted of corruption and a number of other former Cabinet officials, including his hand-picked presidential candidate in last year's elections, are also facing investigations.

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