An Ecuadorean judge announced on Thursday that charges will be re-filed against Colombia’s front-runner presidential candidate, Juan Manuel Santos, for his role in the 2008 cross-border attack on a FARC camp, reports Eco Diario.
The judge, Francisco Revelo, explained that the initial charges, which were launched in 2009 but put on hold in February of this year, were permanently dropped on Wednesday because they didn’t follow formal procedures. According to Revelo, the accused “were not notified by the prosecution,” which violates their right to defense.
As a result, Revelo explained, new charges against Santos, who was Colombia’s defense minister at the time of the cross-border bombing, will be filed.
Santos was not the only Colombian named in the charges. Armed forces commander Freddy Padilla and former army chief Mario Montoya were also named by the Ecuadorian court.
The charges against the three Colombians stem from their alleged personal and criminal responsibility for the March 2008 cross-border attack on a FARC camp that killed the rebels’ number two, Raul Reyes, and 25 others, including one Ecuadorian citizen.
The incident led to a break-down in diplomatic relations between the two nations, with Ecuador requesting the extradition of the high ranking Colombian military leaders.
