Criminal charges in Colombia spy scandal

Jul 31, 8:10 PM EDT
Criminal charges in Colombia spy scandal
By LIBARDO CARDONA
Associated Press Writer

BOGOTA (AP) -- At least eight former officials of Colombia's domestic intelligence agency surrendered on Friday to face criminal charges for allegedly spying illegally on opponents of President Alvaro Uribe including judges, journalists and human rights workers.

They are among 10 former officials whose arrests were ordered Thursday night and include ex-intelligence and counterintelligence chiefs in the DAS security agency, which reports directly to the president.

One of the former officials still at large, former DAS deputy director Jose Miguel Narvaez, is also under investigation for murders committed by far-right death squads.If convicted of criminal conspiracy, the 10 face prison terms of up to six years.

In its arrest warrant, the chief prosecutor's office said the accused "under the guise of protecting national security ended up persecuting people who were fulfilling constitutional duties" such as Supreme Court justices and lawmakers.

~snip~
They said the illegal espionage began in 2004 and continued until early this year.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_COLOMBIA_SPY_SCANDAL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-07-31-20-10-59

http://www.cbc.ca.nyud.net:8090/gfx/images/news/photos/2007/03/11/bush-colombia-cp-161514.jpg

Colombian President Uribe and his Republican friend

http://photos.upi.com.nyud.net:8090/slideshow/lbox/7bb9ce5d0fb6b6c27ae2cf857ae7c62a/Obama-Colombia-Uribe.jpg