Maria del Pilar Hurtado was director of Colombia’s Department of Administrative Security until 2008 Panama has granted political asylum to a former head of the Colombian secret police who is wanted in connection with illegal wiretapping operations that could implicate the country’s previous president, Alvaro Uribe.
Maria del Pilar Hurtado, formerly director of Colombia’s Department of Administrative Security, has already left the country, passing through immigration controls run by the DAS, without being challenged.
Panama’s move has caused outrage in Colombia.
She was granted asylum after “a careful analysis of the request… and the circumstances of reasonable fear for her personal security that prompted her to leave her country”, AP quoted the Panamanian foreign ministry as saying.
The president of Colombia’s Supreme Court, Jaime Arrubla – who was himself a victim of illegal wiretaps by the DAS – expressed surprise at the decision.
The concept of political asylum was to “protect those persecuted for their political ideas, not the persecutors”, he said.
As head of the DAS from 2007-2008, Ms Hurtado was one of the few people who could possibly directly implicate former president, Alvaro Uribe, in the illegal wiretapping of his political opponents and the judges who were seeking to block his actions and re-election prospects.
The DAS answers only to the president, but Mr Uribe has denied issuing any orders that violated the law or the constitution.
His private secretary, Bernardo Moreno, has already been banned from holding public office as investigations into the wiretapping scandal continue.
But no charges have been brought against the former president.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.