Colombian Government Is Ensnared In A Paramilitary Scandal

The scandal has already touched Mr. Uribe’s cabinet, with Senator �lvaro Araújo, the brother of Foreign Minister Maria Consuelo Araújo, under investigation for collaborating with militias. “If there’s someone involved at the highest level, they will be fired,� Francisco Santos, Colombia’s vice president, said in an interview. “Scrutiny is fine for us,� Mr. Santos said. “This country needs to know the whole truth.� Some of the details coming to light about the breadth of paramilitary activities are the result of a process set in motion by Mr. Uribe’s own government, which has allowed paramilitary leaders to confess their crimes and pay reparations in exchange for reduced sentences of no more than eight years in prison. Though some militia leaders have balked at the deal, much of Colombia has been gripped by the first such confession, that of Mr. Mancuso, a cattleman who helped found the paramilitary movement in the 1980s in an effort to combat leftist guerrillas. Source: http://tinyurl.com/3dk4w8

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