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P 021554Z MAR 09
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S E C R E T BOGOTA 000688 

SIPDIS 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/26/2029 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PHUM KJUS CO
SUBJECT: URIBE RESTRICTS DAS INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS IN 
REACTION TO EAVESDROPPING SCANDAL 

REF: A. 09 BOGOTA 569 
¶B. 08 BOGOTA 003359 
     ¶C. 08 BOGOTA 003193 
     ¶D. 08 BOGOTA 3359 

Classified By: Political Counselor John Creamer 
Reasons 1.4 (b and d) 

SUMMARY 
 ------- 
¶1. (C) President Uribe stripped authority from the Department 
of Administrative Security (DAS) to conduct wiretaps after 
press revelations that the DAS had illegally spied on 
domestic political figures.  All DAS monitoring must now be 
done under the control of the Colombian National Police 
(CNP).  Uribe faced public pressure to make changes to the 
agency, which has been involved in repeated political spying 
scandals.  The Supreme Court, which has been subject to DAS 
surveillance, called for international organizations to 
investigate, and reportedly filed a complaint with the 
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).  The 
Prosecutor General's Office (Fiscalia) continues to 
investigate, and has entered a DAS listening facility run in 
cooperation with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). 
DEA has cooperated with GOC authorities.  End summary. 

URIBE WEAKENS DAS WITHOUT ABOLISHING IT 
--------------------------------------- 
¶2. (U) President Alvaro Uribe announced on February 26 that 
he had prohibited the Department of Administrative Security 
(DAS) from conducting wiretaps after leading news magazine 
"Semana" revealed that the DAS (roughly an FBI equivalent) 
had illegally spied on a wide range of domestic political 
figures (reftel A).  At an early morning press conference, 
Uribe announced that all legal wiretaps will have to be 
approved judicially and by the Prosecutor General (Fiscalia) 
and will be implemented by personnel of Colombian National 
Police (CNP).  The DAS reports to the Presidency. 

¶3. (U) Recognizing the technical nature of the work, Uribe 
stressed that DAS teams will continue to work the intercepts, 
but that they will be under CNP control.  Uribe was explicit 
that DAS director Felipe Munoz would have to report to CNP 
chief General Oscar Naranjo for all wiretap operations.  DAS 
intelligence chief Fernando Tabarez resigned on February 26, 
and three others, including intelligence deputy Jorge Lagos, 
have also resigned as a result of the scandal.  The CNP was 
involved in its own wiretapping scandal in May, 2007, which 
led to the dismissal of twelve CNP generals and the 
appointment of Naranjo as CNP head. 

¶4.  (U) Uribe faced pressure to make changes to DAS in the 
wake of the scandal, which is only the latest in a series of 
domestic spying scandals involving the embattled agency. 
Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos told reporters in 
Washington that DAS was a "sick patient" that perhaps needed 
a "Christian burial," but that Uribe would decide its future. 
 Prosecutor General (Fiscal) Mario Iguaran said he was 
considering ordering all DAS listening facilities to be 
temporarily closed, but he held off on the move following 
Uribe's order.  Still, Supreme Court President Francisco 
Ricaurte--one of the many reported targets of the illegal 
monitoring--said Uribe's changes would do little to address 
the underlying problems at the DAS because it would not 
identify those who ordered the illicit spying. 

RESPONSIBILITY FOR ILLEGAL WIRETAPS STILL UNCLEAR 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
¶5. (U) The Fiscalia continued its investigation into who was 
behind the illegal wiretapping and the subsequent attempt to 
destroy evidence (reftel A).  Investigators from CTI, the 
Fiscalia's investigative unit, have collected over 10,000 
records and are interviewing DAS personnel.  After Fiscalia
complaints that the DAS was not cooperating in the 
investigations, DAS Director Munoz assured Iguaran that the 
DAS would fully cooperate.  The DAS did not initially permit 
CTI investigators into facilities operated jointly with other 
countries, including one run by DEA. 

USG FULLY COOPERATING 
--------------------- 

¶6. (S) DEA officials confirmed that Colombian investigators 
entered a DAS facility that had been operated jointly with 
DEA, and that DEA has cooperated fully in the probe. 
Inspector General (Procuradoria) investigators entered on 
February 23, where they reviewed evidence and interviewed DAS 
officials.  Those investigators lacked the technical 
expertise to analyze their findings.  CTI technical 
investigators joined the investigation the following day. 
DEA and DAS officials helped the CTI investigators gather 
data on all lines monitored at the facility so CTI could 
establish that proper judicial orders existed for each 
number.  DEA officials confirmed that all operations were 
carried out with proper orders (reftel A).  DEA and DAS 
personnel explained that, contrary to press accounts, it was 
physically impossible to independently target telephone lines 
from the site. 

GOC DENIES INVOLVEMENT 
---------------------- 
¶7. (C) Senior Presidential adviser Jose ObdulioGaviria
continued to deny involvement, but both CNP Chief Naranjo and 
former DAS Director Andres Penate have separately told us 
thatGaviria in the past has pushed DAS to spy on the GOC's 
political opponents.  Supreme Court President Ricaurte and 
Senator Petro both publicly accused the Casa de Narino of 
ordering the wiretaps.   Gaviria said he was an "enemy" of 
both illegal recordings and their publication, which he said 
differentiated him from "Semana" editor Alejandro Santos, who 
had published details.  Former President Cesar Gaviria
publicly speculated that a Colombian "Montesinos" might be 
behind the illegal intercepts. 

¶8. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX told us that former DAS 
subdirector Jose Manuel Narvaez--a "paramilitary advisor" who 
left DAS in 2005 after a previous scandal--had retained 
access to the agency after his departure and was the Casa de 
Narino's main liaison with DAS. XXXXXXXXXXXX alleged that 
Narvaez's Casa de Narino contact was probably Gaviria or 
Secretary of the Presidency Bernardo Moreno.  In addition, 
XXXXXXXXXXXX said mid-level DAS operators had initiated illegal 
wiretaps themselves, both to earn money and as insurance 
against their political masters. He claimed the Semana
revelations were sourced to DAS personnel who were 
disgruntled with Lagos' and Tabarez' manipulation of the 
polygraph system to punish enemies and collect kickbacks for 
promotions. 

¶9. (C) DAS Director Munoz told the press on February 26th 
that computer records pertaining to possible illegal 
recordings of DAS targets' conversations with Embassy 
personnel may have been discovered, adding that he would 
share any results with us.  XXXXXXXXXXXX also told us the DAS had 
listened to U.S. officials via conversations with Vice 
Minister of Defense Sergio Jaramillo, among others.  He said 
Jaramillo was targeted by Casa de Narino and military 
officials concerned about his role in promoting human rights 
investigations within the Armed Forces. 

COURT ADAMANT FOR STRONGER STEPS 
-------------------------------- 
¶10. (C) Colombia's Supreme Court called for international 
involvement to investigate the situation, and its 23 members 
met with Iguaran, Inspector General (Procurador) Ordonez, and 
Munoz to complain about having been targeted.  Supreme Court 
President Ricaurte publicly alleged a GOC "plot" against the 
Court, and told the press the DAS surveillance  undermined
its independence.  The Supreme Court reportedly filed a 
complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 
and also informed the Special UN Rapporteur on Judicial 
Independence Leandro Despouy.  The Court took previous 
allegations of executive encroachment to the UN (reftel D), 
suggesting the long-smoldering conflict between Uribe and 
Court may soon reignite. 

¶11.  (C) Ivan Velazquez, the Court's lead in the 
parapolitical investigation (and both a frequent target and 
critic of Uribe - see reftel C), told us on February 20 that 
the DAS surveillance, including interception of his 
communications, was intended to discourage witnesses from 
cooperating with his investigations.  He also told Spanish 

daily "El Pais" that DAS had recorded over 2,000 hours of his 
telephone conversations. 

BROWNFIELD