Colombia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has thrown out a case brought last year against suspected FARC “front-men,” reported newspaper El Tiempo Saturday.
According to the newspaper, the office additionally requested that the prosecutor who initiated the case, Ricardo Bustamante, be investigated for the way he handled proceedings.
A fellow prosecutor stated that Bustamante “incorrectly weighed an intelligence report as credible testimony, without giving due consideration to other evidence.” As a result, “the foundation of the case is precarious.”
The National Directorate of Drugs (DNE) now has to return all of the 202 assets it seized last year. Furthermore, the DNE is facing claims against it of up to $427,000 for failing to honor contractual obligations it took on as part of the seizure.
The DNE has the chance to appeal the decision.
