'Colombian govt involved in illegal wiretaps' http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/9119-colombian-govt-involved-in-illegal-wiretaps.html

In a special report on Tuesday Colombian news source CM& claimed to have access to documents proving that information collected through the surveillance and wiretapping of judges, journalists and politicians conducted by security agency DAS was passed on to members of the government.The documents were obtained by the Prosecutor General's Office and used to justify the arrest of five former DAS officials last Friday.Among the documents is allegedly a file labeled "President Uribe," which was used by the DAS officials to collate "documents of interest to the Colombian president."

The final piece of evidence mentioned in CM&'s report documents the opinions and intentions of Supreme Court magistrates concerning the re-election referendum of President Alvaro Uribe.The report is allegedly also labeled with the word "President" and documents which of the court's magistrates were against the approval of a referendum that would allow for the potential re-election of Uribe to his third term as president.

In reference to the new evidence, the president of Colombia's Supreme Court, Jaime Arrubla, said on Monday that "everything seemed to indicate" that the government had been directly involved in the wire-tapping of court magistrates, which he found "horrifying."Arrubla accused the Colombian government of a "conspiracy of the state against the court, a criminal action" and requested a full investigation of the aides of President Uribe who have been implicated in the scandal.

Speaking to national media, Gustavo Petro, the presidential candidate for political party Polo Democratico, also recommended that an investigation be opened into allegations against President Uribe."There is no doubt that the political responsibility lies with President Uribe," said Petro, adding that the inspector general must conduct investigations, "proceeding according to his duty and showing his independence."

comment- also see...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