Gustavo Sierra, the former deputy director of analysis for the DAS, has been jailed for eight years and four months for his part in the wiretapping scandal.
The judge presiding over the case handed down the sentence on Tuesday, reports El Tiempo.
In addition to the time he will serve, Sierra must pay a fine that is equivalent to 44 minimum wage salaries. Based on the minimum wage increase for 2011, this will amount to $140,976.
Sierra apologized to the victims of the illegal wiretapping but maintained that he was only acting on orders handed down by the former DAS director, Maria del Pilar Hurtado.
Gusatvo Sierra surrendered himself in April 2010, a week after five other DAS officials were arrested for their part in the scandal.
Following revelations that the intelligence agency was illegally spying on government opponents, former-President Alvaro Uribe initiated a process that will lead to the dismantling of the service. Several of his closest aides are under criminal investigation and the inspector general barred Uribe’s former chief of staff from holding any public office for 20 years because of his involvement in the wiretap scandal.
Former Director Hurtado is currently in political asylum in Panama to avoid being prosecuted for her involvement.
Two former captains from the DAS, Fernando Tabares and Jorge Alberto Lagos, were also sentenced on Tuesday along with Sierra.
