JUSTICE OF TYRANTS: COLOMBIA’S SHADY AG

Justice of Tyrants: Colombia’s Shady AG

Montealegre also supports giving terrorists political power, stating in 2014: “I want to point out that I’m politically and legally in favor of allowing members of the guerrillas, their leaders, even if they have been found guilty of serious human rights violations, crimes against humanity, or war crimes… to have the opportunity in the future to participate in politics.”

By Lia Fowler*

November 11 2015

On Oct. 28, the Inter-American Dialogue hosted Colombian Attorney General Eduardo Montealegre for an “off-the-record” event in Washington D.C.   According to a staff member at the Dialogue, who asked to remain anonymous, Montealegre’s office requested the meeting, proposed the format, and collaborated on the guest list. While the Dialogue would not comment on what was discussed, Montealegre had media waiting outside the building, according to the staff member, and followed up with a press conference to publicize the event. Montealegre is a sinister character, who uses his office for political and personal gain, with no regard for the justice system.  He is currently under investigation by the Inspector General’s Office  for fraudulent contracts.  Needing to polish up his image, Montealegre used the U.S. think tank to try to regain some legitimacy and fend off criticism.  The Dialogue was all too willing to oblige.

Montealegre became the Attorney General in March 2012,  as peace negotiations between the Colombian Government and the narco-terrorist group FARC were set to begin.  Disregarding the Colombian Constitution and international treaties, he has publicly supported pardoning all crimes committed by FARC terrorists, including massacres, kidnappings, child soldiering, and other atrocities.

Montealegre also supports giving terrorists political power, stating in 2014: “I want to point out that I’m politically and legally in favor of allowing members of the guerrillas, their leaders, even if they have been found guilty of serious human rights violations, crimes against humanity, or war crimes… to have the opportunity in the future to participate in politics.”

A look at his past reveals why it is Politics above Justice for this activist:  Montealegre was a militant with the Communist Youth (JUCO), an off-shoot of the Colombian Communist Party (PCC), according to fellow militants. The JUCO also launched the terrorist careers of current FARC leaders “Timochenko” and Ivan Marquez – both of whom represent the FARC in the “peace” negotiations.  Indeed, most would characterize the FARC as the armed wing of the PCC, as indicated by former PCC General Secretary Gilberto Vieira, who said, “At no point will we stop justifying and defending the existence of the guerrilla movement.”

Montealegre’s continued loyalty to the PCC and the FARC was made clear earlier this year in videotaped statements he made as a panelist at a forum.  He opened by expressing “great satisfaction” in sharing the panel with Carlos Lozano, a PCC leader, who he described as “very dear to [his] affections.”

“I was a boy in [the city of] Ibague when I met Carlos Lozano,” Montealegre gushed. “And in those days, he had already joined the Revolution.”  It’s clear that Montealegre, the PCC and the FARC all share a goal: the imposition of a Communist regime in Colombia.

To that end, he is seeking, through articles hidden in two separate legislative bills, to alter Colombian justice in two dangerous ways: the first would allow judges to deviate from the Penal Code and apply their own subjective judgment when imposing penalties. The second would allow for “contextual analysis” – a vague concept– to bear the weight of proof in judicial processes. This means that judges could do away with the Constitutional guarantee of a presumption of innocence, and use  “contextual analysis” – a standard of proof far below that of circumstantial evidence – as proof of guilt. If these bills pass, they could result in impunity for the guilty, and convictions for the innocent. It’s the Justice of tyrants.

But where there is tyranny, corruption follows — and Montealegre’s contracting scandals are piling up. First there are

the contracts he received from the Executive Branch of government, totaling about $1 million, as reported by El Nodo, a web-based news portal.  The last of these was executed just three weeks before Montealegre assumed his current position. Not only does this blur the lines between the Executive and the Judicial Branches, it smacks of double-dipping from the public till.  Then there are three contracts he awarded to one Natalia Springer von Schwarzenberg, totaling in excess of $1 million, and the subject of the Inspector General’s investigation.

Springer – whose original name is Natalia Lizarazo — describes herself as a “jurist,” but lacks any such qualifications. She claims to hold patents that an investigation by daily El Espectador discovered were non-existent. She claims expertise in International Humanitarian Law that columnist Ernesto Yamhure discovered was based on attending a 13-day course. Montealegre awarded her the contracts directly, with no competitive bidding.  He describes Springer’s work as “revolutionary.” But her first finished product, submitted for peer review by El Espectador, was summed up by Francisco Gutierrez Sanin, PhD in political science, as “original and accurate; but where it is accurate it is not original, and where it is original, it is not accurate.”

Under fire for the first contract, there would have been no receptive audience for the results of Springer’s second contract in Colombia.  So, in a transparent attempt to legitimize her report – which reviewers agreed was as lacking as the first — Montealegre used the Inter-American Dialogue for its unveiling.  Using international organizations to reshape political discourse and shield themselves from scrutiny is an old trick of tyrants.  The Dialogue has been around for more than 30 years; they should know better.

@lia-fowler

*Lia Fowler is an American journalist and former FBI Agent