Colombia Says Uncovered Spying Aimed at Disrupting Peace Talks

Edited by Juan Leandro
2014-05-08 19:53:15

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Bogotá, May 8 (RHC) -- A criminal organization accused of spying on the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in an attempt to derail peace talks is the target of an ongoing government investigation.

Colombian Attorney General Eduardo Montealegre revealed this week that authorities had raided the office where the spying occurred and recovered intercepts from the peace talks that began in Cuba in November 2012.

This office, used by right-wing presidential candidate Oscar Ivan Zuluaga's social media team, in an up-market area of northern Bogota, intercepted emails from the press chief of the FARC in the Cuban capital, Havana. Also, authorities recovered an institutional email from the national government, and two emails from Cuban journalists who are covering the peace process in Havana, he said.

“The purpose of this office, the purpose of the people who were involved in this criminal enterprise, was to sabotage, interfere and affect the peace process in Havana... It appears that, through this office of interceptions, the emails of the president of the republic were also probably intercepted,” Montealegre said to reporters.

Colombian authorities have so far arrested one person in connection with the illegal activity although they do not yet know who was financing the operation.

Andres Sepulveda was arrested on suspicion of directing the spying and selling intercepted information to third parties.

The latest spying accusation follows an incident in February when rogue members of the military were accused of intercepting text messages from government negotiators holding confidential talks with FARC rebels in Cuba.

A preliminary military investigation concluded no spying took place. The prosecutor's office and the military are investigating separately.


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