Leader of Colombia's
Major Party Arrested For
Alleged Paramilitary
Ties
Carlos Garcia, leader of
Colombia's major ruling
party, was arrested
Friday for alleged ties
with far-right
paramilitary groups, the
chief prosecutor's
office said.
Garcia, president of the
National Unity Party
holding the most seats
in the Senate, was
arrested in the city of
Santa Marta.
A major ally of
President Alvaro Uribe,
Garcia has been making
efforts to conduct a
referendum that will
allow Uribe to run for a
third consecutive term
in 2010.
Garcia was accused of
having contacts with the
United Self-defense
Forces of Colombia (AUC),
whose arrested leaders
confessed their
relations with Garcia.
But he has vehemently
denied allegations of
ties with paramilitary
groups, which
prosecutors say occurred
in his home province of
Tolima in 2001.
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