Patron of Colombia's president facing 19 years in prison over alleged terrorism and narco ties

[Judi Lynn]

by Adriaan Alsema July 13, 2020

Colombia’s Supreme Court is considering to sentence one of President Ivan Duque‘s top ideologues to 19 years in prison over his alleged ties to some of the country’s most infamous war criminals and narcos, Noticias Uno reported Sunday.

The Supreme Court was initially considering a nine-year prison sentence for former Antioquia governor and former Senator Luis Alfredo Ramos, but raised this to 19 years, according to the news program.

Duque patron ‘facilitated some of the worst crimes in the region’
According to the draft sentence, Duque’s 2018 campaign chief maintained intimate contacts with some of Colombia’s most bloodthirsty war lords and drug lords between 1998 and 2011, which “facilitated some of the worst crimes in the region.”

The sentence would have to be approved by the majority of the court to put the 72-year-old Ramos behind bars for effectively the rest of his life.

More:
https://colombiareports.com/patron-of-colombias-president-facing-19-years-in-prison-over-terrorism-and-narco-ties/

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Older article:

Colombian president hopeful surrendered on charges of paramilitary collusion
By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, August 29, 2:22 PM

BOGOTA, Colombia — A conservative Colombian presidential hopeful has surrendered to authorities after the Supreme Court ordered him arrested for allegedly benefiting politically from collusion with illegal far-right militias.

Luis Alfredo Ramos was president of Congress from 2002-2003 and governor of Antioquia state from 2008-2011. The ally of former President Alvaro Uribe turned himself in on Thursday.

Ramos is charged with criminal conspiracy for allegedly receiving campaign backing from the paramilitaries, who committed most of the killings in Colombia’s dirty war, including its worst massacres.

Ramos is among dozens of politicians who allegedly colluded with paramilitaries. More than 80 have been imprisoned since 2006 when the scandal broke.

More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/colombian-president-hopeful-surrendered-on-charges-of-paramilitary-collusion/2013/08/29/53c6ae2a-10e0-11e3-a2b3-5e107edf9897_story.html



Former Pres. Alvaro Uribe shaking hands with pal Luis Alvredo Ramos.