Colombia says courts may be tainted

Colombia says courts may be tainted
Web posted at: 6/9/2009 7:1:4
Source ::: REUTERS

BOGOTA: Colombia’s high courts blasted the government yesterday for suggesting that some judges might be linked to organised crime, the latest salvo in a long-running battle between President Alvaro Uribe and the judiciary.

Uribe, popular for his crackdown on leftist rebels, has feuded with the courts for years, prompting critics to charge he is undermining democratic institutions.

He says the judiciary has conspired to block his agenda for bringing law and order to the country, which is in the grips of a 45-year-old guerrilla war.

On Sunday, an investigative unit of the government’s finance ministry issued a statement saying some judges on the country’s highest courts might be linked to illegal activity. No details were provided.

“The unit has analyzed reports of suspicious operations concerning some individuals and their possible links with others involved in illicit activity that could involve some judges,” the statement said.

The statement said the unit was responsible for investigating money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Colombia is the world’s biggest producer of cocaine and the country’s rebels and right-wing paramilitaries are on Washington’s list of terrorist groups.

The magistrates reacted angrily to the statement, challenging the government to provide evidence against them. They also said that under Colombia’s constitution, only the lower house of Congress can investigate the courts.

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