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Former Member of the Parliament in Valle del Cauca Department, Sigifredo López Tobón has been immediately released, once a Preventive Detention Measure, which fell on him, was reversed. Dr. Eduardo Montealegre Lynett, Colombia Attorney General reported.

The head of the prosecuting body stated that: “Such Preventive Detention Measure is founded on four witnesses as a piece of evidence, three of them former Farc/ELN guerrilla men, and another eyewitness of the events that happened in Valle del Cauca Department Assembly.  Based on such testimonies, the Attorney General Office ordered said Preventive Detention Measure as a possible participant in the kidnapping of the Valle del Cauca Assembly members. When the Preventive Detention Measure was ordered, there was no reason to doubt the truthfulness of the four testimonies”.

Countless evidences were performed, Montealegre Lynett noted. “We verify all the statements of the burden of the proof and based on the supervening proof, we find that evidences which ordered the Measure did not have any grounds”.

These statements did not “have any evidential base.” For that reason and in an unofficial way, Prosecutor Guerrero, who conducts the case in Cali city, has decided to revoke the Preventive Detention Measure ex officio and ordered to release immediately and unconditionally former Member of Parliament, Sigifredo López”, added Attorney General.

“In these proofs we found several evidences that unquestionably favor M.P.  Sigifredo López.  Among them, I want to remark that three individuals, who declared in there, have claimed to be demobilized from Farc and ELN”.  Face with a declaration of an individual who claimed to be FARC demobilized, it is found that assertions concerning assistance for having allegedly looked after a subversive in Lopez´s family home, it had no grounds.”

Also, the Attorney General has asserted that court-appointed evidences conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office distorted the statements related to any phone call made by Lopez to former President of Colombia, Andres Pastrana and an Army General. Besides, he has stated that criteria opposition of the evidence analyzed by FBI and the one conducted by Colombia National Police generated this determination because “any doubt is resolved in favor of the accused”.

Statements from two individuals who were involved in the kidnapping of the assembly members were suitable to refute affirmations from four witnesses who implicated Sigifredo López, among them, a woman who claims to have been an insurgent. Concerning this woman, Attorney General said that she does not offer some sort of credibility, as it was established that she has lied in other proceedings.

“Consequently, as the four testimonies that based the Measure have been distorted, it was ordered to release Sigifredo Lopez immediately”, said Dr. Montealegre Lynett.

The Attorney General explained as well: “there is no merit for the pre-trial detention; but the process must carry on and wait until the Prosecutor in the case determines what type of evidence must order so as to know the future of the investigation”. As a result, Lopez remains linked to prosecution.

Finally, as referring to the witnesses, The Attorney General, Dr. Montealegre Lynett reported that an investigation opening was ordered for perjury.