Colombia President fires chief of armed forces

Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos has fired the country’s chief of armed forces for “disparaging comments” about the judiciary.

Santos said on Tuesday that General Leonardo Barrero was dismissed for “disrespectful remarks” against the judiciary and nation in a phone conversation published on the weekend.

The allegations were published by Colombia’s Semana magazine. Barrero’s remarks were found on secretly recorded phone conversations made during probe into the corruption allegations.

Barrero was heard insulting the investigating prosecutors in a phone call with a colonel imprisoned over possible links to extrajudicial killings.

Barrero told colonel Robinson Gonzalez del Rio, who is facing criminal charges over the killing of two men in 2007, that the prosecutors’ investigations into the extrajudicial killings is a “bunch of crap,” and suggesting that he and others “organize a mafia” to discredit investigating judges.

Some military officials are accused of taking bribes of up to 50 percent of the contracts they awarded, others of diverting money that was planned to be spent at the barracks on petrol and other supplies.

According to Semana report, some money was channeled to officers with suspected links with extrajudicial killings.

The government announced that the head of the army, General Juan Pablo Rodriguez, will replace Barrero.

The revelations were made just two weeks after some media reports said rough elements in the army were spying on negotiators at peace talks between the government and FARC rebels.

Colombia’s army has been fighting the rebels for five decades