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Ex-Colombian minister arrested
for suspected role in
assassination of politician
Colombian authorities arrested
former Justice Minister Alberto
Santofimio Thursday for his
alleged role in the
assassination of ex-presidential
candidate Luis Carlos Galan in
1989.
Investigators of Galan's death
suspected that Santofimio was
the mastermind behind the
assassination of the political
leader.
Santofimio was arrested by the
national attorney general's
office and the police of the
central-western city of Armenia,
from where he was taken to
Bogota for interrogation before
the human rights unit of the
attorney general's office of
Colombia.
According to media reports,
Santofimio was implicated in the
assassination by the testimony
of John Jairo Vasquez, alias
Popeye, security chief of the
late drug-lord Pablo Escobar,
leader of the Medellin Cartel.
Galan received several shots
while giving a speech before a
crowd in a public square in
Soacha, south Bogota, during
presidential campaign.
The gunmen were working for
Escobar's Medellin cartel,
according to police.
Santofimio was detained several
years ago and questioned about
Galan's assassination, but was
released due to lack of
evidence.
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