The fourth congressman resigned from the congressional sub-committee investigating former President Alvaro Uribe’s alleged involvement in a wiretapping scandal.
Various media reported that Congressman Jose Rodolfo Perez submitted a letter of resignation but did not provide any explanation for his sudden withdrawal. Perez’s withdrawal is permanent and cannot be revoked. He has become the fourth person to drop out of the three-person sub-committee since the investigation began in October 2010.
Perez’s replacement will most likely be Partido de la U. Congressman Carlos Edward Osorio, who recently joined the congressional Accusation Commission to replace Comilo Andres Abril. One of the original members of the investigative sub-committee, Abril dropped out of the Accusation Commission as well, calling it an “inoperative committee.”
The investigation against Uribe has been highly controversial since its inception. Several human rights organizations have doubted the independence and legitimacy of the investigation against the former president.
The three previous congressmen provided different reasons for dropping out of the sub-committee. One of the original members resigned because of his personal friendship with the former President. A second one withdrew after Uribe accused him of bias. Abril, the third member, withdrew after he intimidatingly was given the message “not to mess with Uribe.”
The only member who has lasted the entirety of the sub-committee’s existence is Herbito Escobar who is a member of the PIN party, an explicitly pro-Uribe party that is highly controversial because of its close ties to politicians now in jail for having received support from drug cartels and the paramilitary organization AUC.
