A former guerrilla claimed Thursday that allegations that Colombia’s vice president had ties to the FARC are part of an elaborate set-up.
The ex-guerrilla fighter, Fernando Bahamon told Caracol Radio that when he was imprisoned in the Chiquinquira jail between mid 2010 to mid 2011, the then-director of the prison offered inmates certain benefits for claiming that the recently elected vice president, Angelino Garzon, had ties to the left wing guerrilla group FARC.
Bahamon claims that the ex-guerrilla responsible for making the accusations was paid benefits to link the vice president to criminal activity. The former guerrilla reiterated his willingness to testify before the appropriate judicial bodies.
According the the former rebel, the accusations against Garzon are nothing more than an elaborate set up that came from the Chiquinquira Jail.
The Prosecutor General, Viviane Morales, confirmed the preliminary investigation into the vice president Thursday, saying that additional evidence would be required in order for the investigation to continue.
The Vice President, Angelino Garzon, has so far not responded to the accusations against him, except to say that he will address the claims on Tuesday when attending the Departmental Forum on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law in Armenia, Quindio.
