URIBE ORDERS SEIZURE OF PARAMILITARY ASSETS

UNCLAS BOGOTA 001142 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KJUS PGOV PINR PREL PTER CO SUBJECT: URIBE ORDERS SEIZURE OF PARAMILITARY ASSETS REF: A. BOGOTA 1013 ¶B. 06 BOGOTA 9122 ¶C. 06 BOGOTA 7481 -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) On February 1, President Uribe instructed GOC agencies to seize assets belonging to former paramilitaries. Two-days later, the GOC took possession of 10 properties belonging to former paramilitary leader Salvatore Mancuso. National Judicial and Police Intelligence Director, General Oscar Naranjo, reported the GOC had seized USD 7 million worth of assets belonging to 25 former paramilitary leaders in the last two months. Ex-paramilitary leaders "Macaco" and "Gordolindo" publicly offered to surrender assets for reparations, but to date do not appear to have transferred any properties. A Colombian think tank estimated that full reparations for victims of Colombia's armed conflict since 1964 would require between 25 and 44 billion dollars -- 19 to 33 percent of GDP. End summary. -------------- Uribe Orders Seizure of Assets -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On February 1, President Uribe instructed the National Judicial Police Intelligence (DIJIN) and the Prosecutor General's Office (Fiscalia) to begin seizing assets belonging to former paramilitaries. Uribe's decision followed the late January murder of human rights activist Yolanda Izquierdo (Ref A). The first seizure occurred on February 3 when the GOC took possession of 10 properties belonging to former paramilitary leader Salvatore Mancuso in Tierralta, Cordoba department, and neighboring areas. It appears only one of the ten properties was in Mancuso's name. (Although Uribe's move was aimed at preventing the assets from being tampered with, several observers said the confiscation was not consistent with reparation guidelines under the Justice and Peace Law (JPL) process (Ref B)). -------------- USD 7 Million Worth Already Seized -------------- ¶3. (U) DIJIN Director General Oscar Naranjo said the GOC had seized USD 7 million in assets belonging to former paramilitary leaders in recent months. Naranjo said the DIJIN and the Fiscalia have now seized over 400 properties that belonged to 25 ex-paramilitary leaders. Late last year, the Fiscalia seized 110 assets of ex-para leader Francisco Javier Zuluaga (AKA "Gordolindo") in three departments. The Fiscalia also seized a 20,000-hectare property belonging to former paramilitary leaders Victor Manuel and Miguel Angel Mejia (AKA "Los Mellizos") in Aguachica, Cesar department. Naranjo said the assets would be placed in the custody of the Fiscalia's Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture Unit and would ultimately be to make reparations to victims. -------------- --- Ex-Paramilitary Leaders Offer to Turn Over Assets -------------- --- ¶4. (U) On February 13, former paramilitary leaders in Itagui maximum-security prison said they would hand over assets for reparations. The first one to submit his list of land holdings and real estate properties to National Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (CNRR) President Eduardo Pizarro was ex-para leader Carlos Mario Jimenez (AKA "Macaco"). (The CNRR serves as a verifier for victim's reparations.) Macaco said he would surrender rural and urban properties, such as ranches, houses, and hundreds of head of cattle, as reparations for victims in Bolivar, Santander, Putumayo, Caqueta, Magdalena, Cauca, Caldas, Risaralda, and Quindio departments. He claimed the properties "are fully productive, were not fruit of plunder or usurpation, and have not been subjected to expropriation." Meanwhile, Gordolindo made a public offer of assets that were already in the hands of the Fiscalia. Still, there is no evidence of any properties having been transferred. ¶5. (SBU) Para leaders have claimed that during the demobilization process they turned over to the GOC the equivalent of USD 52 million in properties, vehicles, and aircraft (Ref C). Some individual blocs have also returned properties to victims in Medellin, Uraba, and Barrancabermeja. Pizarro said the CNRR is working with every demobilized bloc to assist with reparations in communities where they exercised influence. The private Conflict Analysis Resource Center estimated that full reparations for victims of Colombia's armed conflict since 1964 would require between 25 and 44 billion dollars -- 19 to 33 percent of GDP. DRUCKER