5 former DAS executives arrested over wiretap scandal http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/9084-5-former-das-executives-arrested-over-wiretap-scandal.html

Agents of Colombia's Prosecutor General's Office arrested five former executives of intelligence agency DAS for their alleged responsibility in the illegal wiretapping of judges, journalists, human rights workers and politicians.Fernando Tabares, Jorge Lagos, Bernardo Murillo, Luz Marina Rodriguez and German Albeiro Ospina will have to respond to charges of conspiracy and abuse of power.

The five directors of the agency's intelligence and counter-intelligence units are suspected of having known of the existence of the DAS' G3 unit that was specialized in the spying on individuals.According to newspaper El Espectador, the five will be arraigned on Saturday.The wiretap scandal led to severe criticism by those subjected to illegal spying and forced President Alvaro Uribe to dismantle the intelligence agency and create a new one. Following the scandal, the U.S. Congress demanded that no money earmarked for aid to Colombia can be spent on the DAS or its successor.

comment-also read...the DAS is under the sole authority of rightwing alvaro URIBE...some backround on DAS scandal...Plan Colombia and Beyond » The new DAS scandal http://www.cipcol.org/?p=752 Plan Colombia and Beyond » Spying on the opposition http://www.cipcol.org/?p=688 Manual teaches intelligence agency employees how to spy on, threaten, intimidate and discredit NGOs http://www.ifex.org/colombia/2009/12/22/spying_on_journalists/ This is not the Uribe administration's first DAS scandal http://www.cipcol.org/?cat=73