Former lawmakers Zulema Jattin and Eleonora Pineda testified before the Supreme Court that they were not aware of any illegal ties between former senator Mario Uribe and paramilitary groups.
Jattin, herself once arrested for alleged connections to the AUC, claimed that she was unaware of any ties between Uribe and the AUC. Pineda, who has been convicted for her links to demobilized paramilitary organization AUC, testified that she met with Uribe and former paramilitary leader Salvatore Mancuso in 2002, but only to discuss “themes of peace.”
Mario Uribe, cousin of former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, and a congressman from 1994-2008, has been accused of illegal dealings with paramilitary groups. Uribe continues to deny the allegations, and has received public support from the former President.
The accusations are based on statements from several paramilitaries, who claim that Uribe used his connections with the AUC to negotiate land deals in Cordoba, as well as garner votes for his 2002 senatorial election.
The Supreme Court will determine if the votes won by Uribe in Cordoba in 2002 and 2006 were the product of a political deal between Uribe and the AUC.
