Exclusive: Former AUC member who denounced pressures by the Prosecutor to testify against Álvaro Uribe will be a compulsory witness against the former president

Jacinto Alberto Soto, known by the alias Lucas, has been summoned as a mandatory witness against former President Álvaro Uribe. Soto, a former member of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), was previously rejected during the submission process under the Justice and Peace Law. Now, he is set to testify in a case involving alleged crimes committed by paramilitary groups in Antioquia Department. The situation raises questions about which version of his account should be trusted. Soto claimed over two years ago that a prosecutor in Bogotá, Álvaro León Polo, allegedly pressured him to make a statement against Uribe. This prosecutor had already faced charges and was close to being indicted, but the prosecutor Luz Adriana Camargo intervened, changing the investigating prosecutor. As a result, the case became less clear. The prosecutor who supposedly pressured Soto was nearing indictment. Photo: Prosecutor's Office According to Soto’s complaint, he was repeatedly pressured to provide testimony against Uribe. He stated that failure to comply would lead to his transfer to a detention center where security and defense guarantees would not be provided. These guarantees were initially requested from the prosecutor, but they were ignored, leading to his transfer to La Picota prison. SEMANA learned that Jacinto Alberto Soto, who was rejected under the Justice and Peace Law and who accused prosecutors of pressuring him to testify against former President Álvaro Uribe, is now called to appear as a witness by prosecutor Gloria Marcela Abadía, who is responsible for linking Uribe to the investigation into the massacre of El Aro. Abadía included Soto in the list of witnesses she hopes will help build the case against Uribe. The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, August 18, at the maximum security prison in Cómbita, Boyacá, and will be conducted in person. She plans to travel with her team to the facility to obtain Soto’s testimony. The declaration forms part of the investigative actions carried out by Abadía and includes an interrogation of former President Álvaro Uribe, which has been postponed twice and is set for September 4. Now, Abadía expects Soto to serve as a key witness, despite the fact that he previously denounced pressure from prosecutors to implicate the former president in exchange for judicial benefits. The summons to appear as a witness highlights the need to hear Soto’s testimony, along with other evidence related to the case against Uribe. The number of the file corresponds to new legal actions regarding the so-called massacre of El Aro, where Soto is considered a crucial witness, even though he himself once accused a prosecutor of trying to damage the former president. Soto’s complaint against the former prosecutor of the transitional justice office, Álvaro León Polo, was detailed. He was asked to testify against Uribe and, in return, would receive some benefits in the inventory of processes that have pursued him for more than 20 years.