Colombia’s Supreme Court has ordered the investigation Thursday of the defense attorney to some of the country’s biggest stars, Abelardo de la Espriella, for his alleged links to illegal armed groups.
The Supreme Court ordered the investigation of the defense lawyer, who is known for defending parapoliticians, in relation to his role in the creation of the Foundation for Peace Initiatives (FIPAZ), a university association that was allegedly an instrument of the paramilitaries.
FIPAZ, of which De la Espriella was the founder, came under fire after a former congressman and member of the organization, Juan Pablo Sanchez, was sentenced to seven years in prison for his ties to paramilitary groups.
According to a report by El Tiempo, the lawyer claims that he did not know the disgraced congressman until 2009. “I never knew Sanchez and it was only when I went to visit someone in La Picota [a prison] that I found out who he was,” said De la Espriella.
According to the lawyer, all of the actions of the Foundation for Peace Initiatives had government authorization.
