General Leonardo Barrero will denounce Otoniel for slander, who linked him to the Gulf clan

Daniel Usuga aka 'Otoniel', former head of the Gulf Clan, had linked to the Special Jurisdiction for Peace the former Commander of the Military Forces, retired General Leonardo Barrero from allegedly having links with paramilitary groups located in the eastern plains, he also claimed that the General received bribes and worked for that criminal organization.

For his part, the retired soldier emphatically rejected the allegations of 'Otoniel' and reported that he will impose legal action against the criminal former head of the Gulf Clan.

“I must publicly state that I will go to the competent authorities to demand justice, in the face of the slander and insult to which I have been subjected, the product of an attempt by alias' Otoniel 'to deceive the judiciaries and the country, through vile lies in a crude disguise of truth,” said the retired general Barrier.

The military also commented that what alias' Otoniel 'is doing is delaying his extradition with lies 'as his predecessors did'. He also pointed out that at no time did he receive money from illegal groups and that proof of that is in the JEP archives.

“I am fully convinced that neither the Special Jurisdiction for Peace and in general any of the authorities, who have been involved in the fight against the horror that drug trafficking represents for my country, will allow the lies used by this criminal to become the source of a new injustice for the victims of the conflict” , retired General Leonardo Barrero mentioned.

Finally, he pointed out that he has respect for the victims who have left the armed conflict and their willingness and commitment to the truth.

Regarding more information generated about Daniel Usuga alias' Otoniel ', last Tuesday, March 22 at 9:00 a.m. the hearing of Dairo Antonio Úsuga, alias Otoniel before the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), was scheduled for the hearing of Dairo Antonio Úsuga, alias Otoniel before the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), however, it had to be suspended by Judge Nadiezhda Henríquez, as she considered that they were not given the conditions for responding to the statements of the leader of the Gulf Clan and who was called as a witness in the investigation into the armed conflict in Urabá.

The hearing was scheduled at the Dijin headquarters in the Colombian capital, the same place where he has been detained since his capture. At the time of commencement, the defense of alias Otoniel and the JEP asked the magistrate to take place in conditions of complete privacy, as they hoped that Úsuga would be able to make some broader and more detailed statements of some facts.

It is for this reason that the National Police were asked not to be part of the guard and not be present at the hearing, a condition that was not complied with by the authorities since they considered that the security conditions were not being met, so they broke into the compound twice, this being the reason why which Judge Nadiezhda Henríquez suspended the proceedings.

For the second time in a row, the presence of the authorities prevented the hearing from taking place normally. On this last occasion, despite warnings to the direct of the Dijin Police, the officers refused to leave the scene for reasons of national security. A police major, in the face of the magistrate's questioning, assured her that the door should always be open.

It is important to note that Úsuga was part of the People's Liberation Army (EPL) and the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) which committed crimes in the Urabá area, so he was called to declare in case 04, that he refers to the territorial situation of the Urabá region during the armed conflict that took place there by many years. At first alias Otoniel refused to testify, but after receiving several letters from the victims recognized by the JEP, he decided to give his version of several facts.

READ ON: