VZCZCXYZ0009
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBO #1141/01 0471404
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 161404Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2761
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7410
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 8687
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ FEB LIMA 4753
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA 9982
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 5409
RUEHGL/AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL 3888
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEAWJC/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHOND/DIRONDCP WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS BOGOTA 001141 

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.  The 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, 
theFiscalia 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 

=======================CABLE ENDS============================