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Colombia police in wiretap probe | Colombia police in wiretap probe |
(about 8 hours later) | |
Colombia's secret police is under investigation over claims rogue agents may have intercepted phone calls and passed on information to criminals. | |
Magistrates, politicians, officials and journalists may have had phones tapped. | Magistrates, politicians, officials and journalists may have had phones tapped. |
It is the latest scandal to hit the Department of Administrative Security - or DAS, as the secret police are known - under President Alvaro Uribe. | It is the latest scandal to hit the Department of Administrative Security - or DAS, as the secret police are known - under President Alvaro Uribe. |
One ex-DAS director is accused of giving right-wing death squads the names of suspected rebel sympathisers. | One ex-DAS director is accused of giving right-wing death squads the names of suspected rebel sympathisers. |
Felipe Munoz has been the DAS director for just a month, and is now in the the middle of a scandal even worse than that which cost the job of his predecessor - although not quite as bad as one that put another former director in prison. | Felipe Munoz has been the DAS director for just a month, and is now in the the middle of a scandal even worse than that which cost the job of his predecessor - although not quite as bad as one that put another former director in prison. |
Too corrupt to reform? | Too corrupt to reform? |
A special squad has been set up to investigate the wire-tapping allegations. | A special squad has been set up to investigate the wire-tapping allegations. |
The DAS has been at the centre of corruption scandals since Mr Uribe took over in 2002 and appointed Jorge Noguera, one of his campaign managers and a man with no intelligence experience, as director. | The DAS has been at the centre of corruption scandals since Mr Uribe took over in 2002 and appointed Jorge Noguera, one of his campaign managers and a man with no intelligence experience, as director. |
Mr Noguera resigned in 2005 amid accusations he was working with right-wing paramilitary death squads. | Mr Noguera resigned in 2005 amid accusations he was working with right-wing paramilitary death squads. |
He has been imprisoned and the case is awaiting trial. | He has been imprisoned and the case is awaiting trial. |
Maria Pilar Hurtado was forced to resign as director last October after it was revealed the DAS was spying on opponents of the president. | Maria Pilar Hurtado was forced to resign as director last October after it was revealed the DAS was spying on opponents of the president. |
There have been calls for the DAS to be disbanded. A Ministry of Defence source said that the organisation was so corrupt that it could not be reformed. | There have been calls for the DAS to be disbanded. A Ministry of Defence source said that the organisation was so corrupt that it could not be reformed. |