Arrest warrant issued for former Colombian secret service director

Bogota's criminal division of the Superior Court Wednesday ordered the arrest of a former secret service director who has been accused of participating in illegal spying during the administration of former President Alvaro Uribe.

Maria del Pilar Hurtado, who was granted territorial asylum in Panama last November, served as director of the Department of Administrative Security (DAS). She has been accused of ordering the illegal wiretapping and surveillance of opposition politicians, High Court judges and journalists.

"The long list of facts for the prosecution, although in some areas undermined by the activities of the defenders, is still allowed to make reasonable that there can be criminal offenses for which a trial is necessary," Luis Fernando Ramirez, the judge at the criminal division of the Superior Court, said.

Ramirez took into account the testimonies of former DAS officials Fernando Tabares and Jorge Lagos, who had admitted to espionage and testified against Hurtado.

The two former officials are being prosecuted for illegal spying, which was condemned by the United Nations.

However, during a court hearing in Bogota, Hurtado's lawyer Jaime Camacho denied that his client was involved in the illegal spying conducted by the DAS during the Uribe administration.

For her part, Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin said she will seek an extradition warrant for Hurtado as soon as the request is given. She added that this would not be a cause of conflict between Colombia and Panama.

The prosecuting body charged Hurtado with aggravated conspiracy, abuse of public office, embezzlement and misappropriation, falsification of public documents and unlawful violation of communications.

The scandal, known locally as the "Chuzadas", was made public by the weekly "Revista Semana" last year, whose director had been one of the spying victims.

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