Judge Elva Lucia Perez moved the slander trial of ex-Vice President Francisco Santos and former presidential adviser Jose Obdulio Gaviria forward to September 14.
According to RCN Radio, the new date was agreed upon after the defense lawyer for Gaviria presented the excuse that the mother of Gaviria is undergoing chemotherapy treatment and should be accompanied by her son. Judge Perez said it “it is already strange” that each time they attempt to move forward with the case the defense has responded with various personal reasons to postpone the hearing of witnesses.
The case is related to alleged accusations made by the ex-government employees against former President Alvaro Uribe, whom they supposedly claimed assisted guerrilla groups.
In the case of Santos, the prosecutor claimed that in a union meeting that took place in the city of Quito in July 2007, Santos had approved to help insurgent movements throughout the country. As for Garivia he is being investigated for his opinion article in which he made serious accusations against unions. Before that, both Garivia and Santos were linked to a emerging paramilitary group called the “Black Eagles,” asserted Vanguardia News.
Santos and Gaviria were charged August 2007, one month after the union groups Sintraemcali, Sintratelefonos, and Sintraunicol spoke out, reported Caracol Radio.
In the development of the case, ex-Vice President Santos attempted to make a settlement but failed while the ex-adviser Gaviria has never tried to get close to the opposition.
