Commission for recall of
Nicaraguan president turned down
President of the Nicaraguan
parliament Carlos Noguera said
Wednesday there are no
conditions to ratify a
commission aimed at discussing
the dismissal petition against
President Enrique Bolaños.
The State Accounts Inspector's
Office has asked parliament to
revoke the presidency of Bolaños
as he is accused of violating
the electoral law and refusing
to cooperate in auditing
suspected illicit funds in his
2001 presidential campaign.
The parliamentary presidency set
up in recent days a special
commission to discuss the
petition of the State Accounts
Inspector's Office.
The commission was controlled by
legislators of the ruling
coalition, who favor Bolaños.
Noguera had earlier announced
that after the Sunday municipal
elections the approval of the
commission would be presented
before the plenary session of
parliament.
The top legislator announced the
consultation would be postponed
indefinitely and would be
reactivated when the necessary
conditions exist.
Members of parliament from the
Liberal Constitutionalist Party
and the Sandinista Front of
National Liberation, the two
major opposition parties in the
country, have said they would
not ratify such a commission as
it did not take into account the
principle of proportionality in
the creation of ordinary or
special commissions.
This principle is established in
statutes and regulations
governing the functioning of the
Nicaraguan parliament.
Colombian drug pusher sent to
hospital
Colombian drug pusher Gilberto
Rodriguez was sent to hospital
for a heart problem after the
decision was made to extradite
him to the United States,
Colombian National Penitentiary
Institute said Wednesday.
The 63-year-old former banker's
health got worse after Colombian
President Alvaro Uribe and
Interior and Justice Minister
Sabas Pretelt signed an
extradition order.
Rodriguez had suffered from high
blood pressure on different
occasions and has been moved
from Bogota's La Picota Central
Penitentiary to San Ignacio
Hospital, a health center of the
Pontifical Javeriana University.
The drug pusher, alias "The
Chess Player" for his ability to
outwit the police, is wanted by
the state courts of Florida and
New York on the charges of drug
trafficking and money
laundering.
Rodriguez and his brother
Miguel, captured by the
Colombian authorities in 1995,
were the lords of the Cali
cartel, one of the major drug
rings in the country.
The brothers received a sentence
of 15 years in prison, but
served only seven years and
three months for their "good
behavior".
However, Gilberto Rodriguez was
re-arrested several months later
for "other crimes pending
sentences."
His brother Miguel Rodriguez,
alias "El Senor," is also wanted
by the United States to be
extradited.
1st torture report during
Pinochet's rule delivered
Chilean President Ricardo Lagos
Escobar on Wednesday morning
received the first official
report about the use of torture
during the military regime of
Augusto Pinochet Ugarte in
1973-1990.
The report was drafted by the
Commission on Political
Prisoners and Torture headed by
Catholic Bishop Sergio Valech.
Over the past year, the
commission made a thorough
investigation into 35,000 cases
of illegitimate arrests and
torture during Pinochet's rule.
The report did not reveal the
identities of the victims, but
mentioned their ages,
occupations and detention
places.
The document has eight chapters
and divides Pinochet's rule into
three periods. The only copy is
in the hands of President Lagos
to prevent information leak.
Lagos told reporters the
document is a "very important
step" for the country.
"How many countries have dared
to make an in-depth search into
their history? How many
countries have dared to get to
the bottom of what happened?
Chile dares, as it is a solid
and stable country that can do
it. And I hope we are in
conditions to be aware of the
step we're taking," the
president said.
The report was presented five
days after Chilean army chief
General Juan Cheyre admitted
there were torture,
assassinations and
disappearances of dissidents by
the law-enforcement institutions
under Pinochet's rule.
"The Chilean army took the hard
but irreversible decision to
accept its responsibility for
the acts of the past" that are
morally unacceptable and are of
criminal nature, Cheyre said in
a report called "The End of a
Vision" published by the La
Tercera daily last Friday.
The Chilean Supreme Court said
Tuesday that it has decided to
continue the proceedings against
Pinochet.
Pinochet, who took control of
Chile by ousting constitutional
President Salvador Allende in
1973, was arrested in London on
Oct.16, 1998, after Spanish
judge Baltasar Garzon issued an
arrest warrant to have him
extradited to Spain on charges
of torture, terrorism and
genocide.
He was later released because of
his poor health conditions. The
former ruler and his security
agents face hundreds of charges
of homicide, kidnapping and
torture in Chile.
|
Colombian police capture FARC assassin leader
The Colombian police arrested a leader of an assassination
team belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
(FARC) and responsible for over 50 assassinations, official
sources said on Wednesday.
The sources said that Jose Orlando Rodriguez Penaloza was
arrested on Tuesday by the secret police, or DAS, in
southern Bogota.
According to DAS, Rodriguez headed a group of assassins
under the FARC's leadership.
DAS said that Rodriguez, known by the alias of Bombom, was
accused of ordering the killing of hostages held by FARC
Front 42 in the central province of Cundinamarca when the
families of the hostages failed to pay ransoms.
He added that Rodriguez also faced charges of the
assassinations of Alberto Torres, mayor of the city of
Quipile, Cundinamarca province, and Mesitas del Colegio, a
town councilor.
Front 42, headed by Bernardo Mosquera, alias El Negro
Antonio, was considered one of the top kidnappers in
Colombia.
|
