SA Intelligencer Editor: Dalene Duvenage Contributions and enquiries dalene@4knowledge.co.za
30 August – 21 September 2011 Click on titles below to access the articles Africa Page 2 South Africa: Intelligence wars continues South Africa: Withdrawal of controversial Info Bill welcomed Botswana: Are interns betraying the country's security? Nigeria: Why the terrorists are winning in Nigeria Why we can’t tackle Boko Haram — Security operatives Libya: Secret Documents Reveal Disarray among Libyan Spy Chiefs in Qaddafi's Last Days The femme fatale who secretly guided bombs to their target: Spy at the centre of Gaddafi regime Rwanda: Harelimana to Head EAPCCO Council of Ministers Kenya: Kibaki ignored intelligence service advice on Wetang’ula Middle East Page 11 Iran detains six independent filmmakers: BBC Europe Page 12 US intelligence head makes rush trip to Ankara Turkey: Ankara restructuring intelligence service Turkish general arrested over coup plot Snooping row over Bettencourt case flares up in France Asia Page 14 China’s Growing Spy Threat Chinese General Spills Spy Secrets South Korea Spy agency detains NK defector for assassination plot Oceania Page 18 New Zealand's new top spy boss revealed US Page 19 Analysis: As Petraeus becomes America's top spy, will he militarise the CIA? South America Page 20 Colombia: Ex-Spy Chief Sentenced to Prison Wiretapping Scandal Shakes Colombia
Intelligence analysis is a new art form and it's not even the art form we would have had five or six years ago,” Philip Mudd
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From the editor The last month has seen major developments in the world of intelligence worldwide. Here in South Africa, the intelligence community has been rocked by leadership squabbles, while the fall of the Gadhafi regime in Libya took place with intelligence support of the major NATO countries. The suicide bomb attacks in Nigeria has emphasized the fact that African intelligence services are not yet ready to counter the new threats associated with global terrorism. The espionage threat of China becomes more evident in the increase of cases against Chinese spies and the extension of its intelligence capabilities throughout the world - also in Africa and specifically in Zimbabwe as previously reported here. While we were commemorating the 9/11 events that changed intelligence forever, Gen Petraeus has taken over the leadership of the CIA amid concerns that he will militarise the civilian agency and clash with the analysts that are critical of the Afghanistan war. In Colombia, as in many other countries in the world, intelligence agencies overstep their constitutional mandates into the political arena with dire consequences to democracy and the credibility of the national security state apparatus. The SA Intelligencer is published on an ad hoc basis and aim to inform decision makers and intelligence professionals on recent developments in the world of intelligence agencies. It is compiled from free open English sources All the articles are excerpted – click on the source link at the beginning of each report to access the original. Dalene Duvenage Pretoria, South Africa
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South Africa: Intelligence wars continues Ed: After 10 days of conflicting reports, leadership wrangles in South African civilian intelligence continue amid a cloud of silence hovering over Musanda, the SSA building complex outside Pretoria. This is a synopsis of various articles in South African media.
President Zuma has apparently severed ties with the country’s foremost intelligence officers, in favour of his Minister of State Security, Siyabonga Cwele – a move likely to unleash turbulence within the State Security Agency. Staff morale at headquarters is at an all-time low, with staff being kept in the dark about the goings-on. Meanwhile, the opposition has requested the Inspector General of Intelligence Advocate Faith Radebe to investigate the possible involvement of the President in the abuse of the state security apparatus for party political purposes. From reports, there seems to be at least 4 reasons for the worsening relations between the Minister and the SSA Director General Jeff Maqetuka, and his deputies Gibson Njenje (Head of the domestic branch) and Moe Shaik (Head of the Foreign Branch): •
PetraeusMinister of
State Security Siyabonga
Political alliances in the ANC succession battle: Mail and Guardian reports that the raging succession battle in the ANC ahead of its crucial elective conference next year in Mangaung in the Free State appears to be at the centre of spy wars that have pitted State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele against his top three intelligence chiefs. The head of the State Security Agency, Gibson Njenje, foreign branch head Moe Shaik and director general Jeff Maqetuka have reportedly clashed with Cwele over his wish to use state security to spy on ANC leaders perceived to be hostile to President Jacob Zuma. Njenje and his foreign counterpart Moe Shaik and State Security director-general visited Zuma to raise concerns about Cwele, including that there were political operations on The intelligence structures have been rocked by 3 scandals the senior ANC members that ran last 6 years: against instructions that Zuma 2005/2006: NIA head Billy Masetlha was sacked after gave them on their appointments. accusations of abusing the intelligence powers by instigating Zuma, buoyed by his victory at unlawful surveillance and eavesdropping on politicians - and the ANC elective conference in creating hoax e-mails. Charges of fraud were dismissed in 2009. Polokwane in December 2007, said it was important that the 2009: Interceptions illegally obtained by Zuma’s legal team credibility of the intelligence from intelligence sources led to corruption charges dropped against him which paved the way to his election as president. services be restored by ensuring The Inspector General of Intelligence report on this was never that they were not involved in released, despite calls by the opposition. intra-party politics. Cwele, on 2011: Min Cwele’s wife found guilty of drug smuggling, while Zuma’s instructions, restructured the opposition called for the minister to step down, arguing the intelligence services, creating that if he is not aware of his wife's illegal activities, he should one super-structure headed by no longer be in charge of the country's intelligence-gathering.
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Maqetuka. According to highly placed intelligence sources, Cwele allegedly told Njenje that ANC leaders needed to be "tailed" because they posed a threat to Zuma's party presidency. But an angry Njenje is said to have responded by saying that he would do what was necessary in terms of legislation, and would not be told to break the law by investigating factional fights in the ANC. •
Intelligence targeting of persons of interest close to Pres. Zuma: City Press has learnt from a highly placed intelligence source that Njenje ordered that the Gupta family, which is closely linked to President Jacob Zuma and his family, be investigated for, among other things, alleged influence on top government officials and politicians. Cwele ordered Njenje to stop the investigation.
•
Systemic and structural problems: the expanding efforts of State Security Minister Cwele to exercise operational control over the services and the active resistance from the senior managers under him: Lizo Njenje, Moe Shaik and Jeff Maqetuka. Part of the problem lies in a legislative regime that gives the minister wide but poorly regulated powers to appoint, remove and shift personnel. The minister is also empowered to issue "directions" regarding "command and control" of the services. The restriction to "political responsibility" is not mirrored in intelligence legislation, which simply says the director general "must, subject to the directions of the minister and this Act, exercise command and control of the intelligence services" — wording that may give the minister an effective veto over operational decisions.
•
Personality clashes: Sources sympathetic to Njenje and Shaik say that the normal turf disputes between the minister and his managers are made intractable by the minister's own insecurity and relative lack of experience in intelligence. Said one: "This minister never worked in intelligence himself, whereas Maqetuka, Njenje and Shaik each have decades of experience. They have struggle credentials. The minister doesn't even sit on the ANC national working committee or national executive committee." The result, they claim, has been a level of mistrust and second-guessing and a tendency on the minister's part to see conspiracies against him and to disregard advice. One example cited has been the debacle around the Protection of Information Bill, which has been driven by Cwele and has provoked unprecedented public opposition and some embarrassing backtracking from the ANC. According to insiders, the intelligence services made their own inputs to the minister that were also critical of the draft Bill, but Cwele failed to share their comments with the parliamentary committee dealing with the legislation. Another factor might have been Njenje unhappiness about a decision to grant Cwele's wife full intelligence protection throughout her drug-trafficking trial. She was found guilty. The domestic branch does not have the mandate to do VIP protection and resources from outside had to be used for this, Allegedly Njenje expected Cwele to approve the expenditure as he did not have the authorisation, but the latter refused.
The findings and recommendations of the Ministerial Review Commission on Intelligence have been ignored by the Zuma government as it was seen as the brainchild of previous Intelligence minister Kasrils and pres Mbeki. An opportunity was lost to reform the intelligence sector for a South post-apartheid Africa. Listen to Laurie Nathan on the role of intelligence in the South African democracy at http://www.pod702.co.z a/podcast/bestofredi/20 110920BESTREDI.mp3
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South Africa: Withdrawal of controversial Info Bill welcomed Moneyweb: 19 September 2011(Ed: excerpted)
The ANC has decided not to table the controversial Protection of State Information Bill in Parliament on Tuesday. The announcement follows a groundswell of opposition to the omission of a clause that activists say would protect journalists and whistle-blowers who disclose “classified information” if it’s in the public interest. The ANC’s Chief Whip in Parliament, Mathole Motshekga, told a media briefing in Cape Town that the decision was made so that Members of Parliament could engage further on the bill. “The consultations will involve ANC MPs taking the proposed legislation to the people through constituency week scheduled for next week, further discussion internally and with other political parties, and engaging views from the broader society.” ANC MP, Llewellyn Landers, said the ANC caucus stood by its view on the public interest defence. "Until convinced otherwise, our view on the public interest defence has not changed. We've made provision for whistle-blowers. It's a lie that there's no protection for whistleblowers. The surprise statement follows an outcry against the bill. Protests against the legislation intensified this weekend, with a march in Cape Town attended by around 2,000 protesters. The Right2Know Campaign has mobilized thousands of people against the bill and has staged a series of demonstrations. Church leaders, a range of NGOs, politicians, editors and journalists have
joined in the protest. Opposition politicians have argued that the omission of a public interest defence would have a "chilling" effect on whistle-blowers and would crack down on freedom of expression. The ANC said the bill had already undergone over 123 amendments. Landers cited the example of similar legislation in other countries. He said Canada did not have a public interest defence. “In the UK, within 18 months of being sworn in as Prime Minister, Tony Blair called for a repeal of the public interest defence. You’re asking us to be different, yet we’ve made provision for whistle-blowers.” ANC MP, Cecil Burgess, who chaired the ad hoc committee drafting the bill, said many people had got it wrong. He stuck firmly to the security provisions in the Bill and defended the proposed heavy prison sentences for contravening the legislation. “People in some countries get executed for selling state secrets. Western countries have very heavy sentences for espionage. We talked about the best practices as a committee. Those who criticize the legislation are not as wellinformed as committee members.” The DA welcomed the delay. DA MP, David Maynier, said the Bill was a “clear and present danger to the freedom of the press and other media in South Africa”. Motshekga said he expected the legislation would be brought back to Parliament later this year
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Botswana: Are interns betraying the country's security? Mmegi Online: 7 September 2011 (Ed: excerpted)
The security of this country might already be compromised - or worse - if as Mmegi has learnt, the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security is run by and is dependent on interns to function. Sources close to the ministry said 70 percent of its staff complement is made up interns. An inside source at the ministry has revealed that an intern was recently approached with a US$250,000 (about P1.7 million) bribe by a top army intelligence officer from an African country (name known to Mmegi) in Gaborone in exchange for a highly confidential document detailing Botswana's security status: from the security manpower to the weaponry, military technology and other highly sensitive information that if divulged, would put the country's security in jeopardy. After lengthy investigations, Mmegi located the intern (name withheld), who said the foreign intelligence operative who was in Botswana for an international meeting sent a driver to the said intern with the lucrative proposal. The driver, who also works with the ministry, was responsible for transporting several top security officials from other countries after hours. The intern said that with 78 interns, the country's security can be breached anytime, especially at this ministry, which is the fulcrum of the nation's security organs like Botswana Defence Force, Police Service, Prisons Service and the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS).
Some suspect that the interns, who are unemployed and are desperately looking for additional income and jobs, might sell government secrets. The source said though they get P1,800 allowance per month, interns do the bulk of the work at the defence ministry, which has only 40 full-time staff complement. Efforts by the interns to get the ministry to hire them as permanent staff, according to the source, "...despite the reasons we gave them that because we handle confidential information and reports on the country's security, we could be a threat if we are not retained, they still refuse to hire us." The source has also revealed that what is even more serious is that some whole units are literally run by interns. The source said they also find them in situations where they handle defence and security issues of an international nature. Some of the interns even report directly to the Permanent Secretary (PS), the source said. The intern has revealed that of the 40 hired staff, most of them are cleaners and drivers, while the top management is lean with a PS, acting minister and a few departmental heads whilst in a lot of positions that need to be filled, the ministry uses interns, claiming there is no money to hire them. So far they are said to have refused to sign confidentiality forms that the Permanent Secretary to the President, Eric Molale, recently ordered that they be filled and signed by government officers.
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Nigeria: Why the terrorists are winning in Nigeria Mutual suspicion and lack of cooperation among the intelligence agencies are reasons for Nigeria’s failure to curb activities of terrorists PM News 14 September 2011 (Ed: excerpted)
Terence Mc-Culley, the American Ambassador to Nigeria, was quoted by The New York Times as describing the attack on the UN building by the sect as a “paradigm shift”, adding that “it suggests Boko Haram has upped its game, if you will. It seems to show it wishes to expand its scope beyond the domestic.”. As many Nigerians feverishly condemned the terrorist act in as strong a language as possible, they also did not hold back in censuring the security agencies for the lapses that enable the sect to carry out the act. Not a few believe that the security agencies have been sleeping on their watch even as terrorists take over the nation, with bomb attacks becoming a regular affair in some areas of the country. The attacks have since 2010 become so routine that it takes a hit on a major target now to be on the front page of national newspapers. While government officials led by the President and the heads of the various security agencies have consistently said they are “on top of the situation”, a phrase usually accompanied with assertions of determination to “bring the culprits to book”, after any successful attack, there is nothing to justify that they are living up to that promise. Rather, it is members of the militant sect that have demonstrated, time and time again, their ability to strike at any location and target of their choice at any given time. Investigation by this magazine however revealed that one of the major hindrances to the effectiveness of the security agencies is mutual suspicion and infighting among the
leadership. Former military president, Gen Ibrahim Babangida had in 1986 through Decree 19, dissolved the octopus National Security Organisation NSO, replacing it with three separate entities under the Office of the Co-ordinator of National Security: State Security Service, SSS – responsible for domestic intelligence; National Intelligence Agency, NIA – responsible for foreign intelligence and counterintelligence operations and; Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA – responsible for military intelligence. These are in addition to the Nigerian Police. Activities of the various intelligence agencies are supposed to be coordinated by the National Security Adviser, NSA. The various agencies are also supposed to share intelligence among one another and coordinate their responses to such intelligence. But, it was gathered, this has not been possible as a result of undue rivalry and quest for “personal glory” at the topmost levels of the agencies. The lack of teamwork, said a source, was responsible for the failure of the agencies to prevent the UN building attack, though information about the plan was received nine days before it was carried out. Azazi confirmed this when he denied receiving any report that Boko Haram was set to attack the UN building in an interview with The Guardian: “I did not receive a specific report. Ask the SSS. There was nothing like that… Critics should be able to produce evidence that such a report was received.”
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This magazine learnt that another source of friction between them is the control of the budget allocated for specific projects designed to enhance national security. It was gathered that some of the leaders of the security agencies were not happy when the funds for installation of CCTV cameras around Abuja were given to the IG in the aftermath of the bombing at Mogadishu Barracks, Abuja in December last year. There are also allegations that the present NSA is relying too much on the military, hence the hasty deployment of soldiers to the streets in response to bomb attacks. Beyond the blame game, analysts said, what is need is a radical overhaul of the Nigerian security agencies. “First, we need to prioritise intelligence gathering, processing and utilisation in our security operations. Two, rather than see this as an avenue to make money, security agencies must intensify joint operations rather than solo efforts. Three, political leadership must not give the impression that impunity is the rule, rather than the exception on this matter,” Kayode Fayemi, the Governor of Ekiti State, said of the measures needed to tackle the problem.
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President Jonathan had also said his administration is embarking on the redesign of the Nigerian security architecture in response to the new security challenge. However, some analysts have argued that there is little the country can achieve until the constitution is amended to allow for the setting up of State Police. In the same vein, it has been argued that the problem of Boko Haram cannot be solved until the socio-economic conditions that gave rise to it are addressed. “I think we’d like to see Nigeria take a more holistic approach,” said McCulley. He added that the way the uprising of the Boko Haram sect was put down in 2009 may have resulted in the present escalation. The American Ambassador therefore suggested that the government “address the grievances” of the northern population on economic and social matters as a way of tackling the problem of the militant group. The 29 August killings in Jos was another sign of the failure of intelligence. Critics wondered why the federal government’s intelligence network did not foresee and pre-empt the attacks by fighters from the Christian and Muslim sides.
Why we can’t tackle Boko Haram — Security operatives Punch on the Web, 4 Sep 2011 (Ed: excerpted)
More facts have emerged on why it is becoming increasingly difficult for security operatives to be pro-active in intelligence gathering that would have given them the upper hand over the Boko Haram sect. Sources close to the service told one of our correspondents that many officers of the Department of State Security were not happy with its leadership on issues bearing on welfare. Part of their grievances includes non-payment of leave allowance, which they said the
authorities claimed had been incorporated into the salaries of the personnel. The officers also claimed that the leadership of the service had reneged on its promise to pay them what is called “incentive allowance.” This allowance, it was gathered, is usually half of a salary and is paid once in a year. The promise to pay it was reportedly made last December. Apart from this, it was also alleged that their plain clothes allowance, which was meant to be paid quarterly, was last paid in October 2010.
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The operatives are also grumbling about the irregularities in their promotion. For example, those that sat for promotion examination and passed since January and February are yet to be promoted. One of them said, “It is because of issues like this that we are no longer pro-active. We are now reactive in our operations. “In the days of the defunct National Security organisation, how many Nigerians know those working in the organisation? Now, everyone knows who works with SSS. We now carry guns like the regular police. We have left our primary duty of gathering information. If you go to our organisation headquarters, you will see patrol vans parked outside just like the ones being used by the
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police. “You will see our men carrying arms outside as if we are in war zone. That is not how to go about information gathering. By now, with the activities of the Boko Haram sect, we ought to have our men who will be in all the northern states of the country masquerading as cattle men.” Another factor said to be militating against intelligence gathering is the infiltration of security organisations by suspected Boko Haram sympathisers. This, it was gathered, had made it more difficult for the security agencies to act decisively on the sect as operational methods were said to be leaked to them.
Libya: Secret Documents Reveal Disarray among Libyan Spy Chiefs in Qaddafi's Last Days FoxNews, 2 Sept 2011
TRIPOLI – Reams of confidential documents reveal the mounting desperation and disarray among top leaders of Col. Muammar Qaddafi's regime as power slipped through their fingers, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. The files were discovered in the office of Libya's spy chief in Tripoli and two other security agencies after the personnel fled their desks as civil war deepened. The documents expose an ossified culture within Libya's police state that proved largely incapable of switching gears to fight an actual war. Propaganda skills failed to translate into battlefield analysis, leaving soldiers furious and, in some cases, surprisingly clueless. In one memo, dated April 26 and found in the now-abandoned office of Libya's former top spy, a general complains bitterly about the lack of intelligence. "I received no information from anywhere," he wrote. "I now think there isn't any entity at all that has precise or even imprecise
information" about the rebels he was being asked to defeat. Documents from early in the year suggest a casual dismissiveness of the rebellion. One field officer in February -- around the start of the crisis -- reported to his superiors in Tripoli that the protesters in his city of al Marj were merely local alcoholic troublemakers. A report from Tripoli's suburb of Tajoura dismissed marchers there as a nuisance akin to "stray dogs." By late spring, however, Tripoli's intelligence chiefs were scratching their heads over intercepts of rebel phone calls that they simply could not decode. Mounting panic led to open bickering and backstabbing. In a May 1 memo, a lieutenant colonel in the Investigations and Surveillance branch ripped into his colleagues, alleging that the department had "become the office of booze, prostitution and theft of detainees' possessions."
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The femme fatale who secretly guided bombs to their target: Spy at the centre of Gaddafi regime MailonLine 13 September 2011 (ed: excerpted)
A young femme fatale spied on Colonel Gaddafi's military bases to direct NATO bombs to key targets, it was revealed today. The 24-year-old Libyan informer - codenamed Nomidia - passed on secret details to the alliance that fatally weakened the Gaddafi regime. To evade capture she moved around constantly, used multiple mobile SIM cards and hid her activities from all but the closest members of her family. But she was never suspected because Gaddafi's security forces didn't think it possible that a woman could spy on them. The woman, an engineer, said: 'I was not on the radar. 'They were concentrating more on the guys and it was almost impossible to think that a girl was doing all of this.' When Nomidia began her undercover role five months ago, Gaddafi and his security forces had a firm grip on the city and stifled any information which could be useful to his opponents. Telephone lines were monitored, mobile phone text messaging was blocked, and the internet was available only to government offices and a group of foreign journalists who were kept under guard in a five-star hotel. She began by calling Libya al-Ahrar, an antiGaddafi television station based in Doha, Qatar. With little real information leaking out of Tripoli, producers at the station put her voice on air - under the name Nomidia - with accounts of what was happening in the city. Soon she was dialling in with details of military forces which the channel wanted to keep off the air to avoid alerting Gaddafi's government. Instead they began passing on the information to NATO, via officials with the rebel government, the National Transitional Council. A producer at the station, who was Nomidia's main point of contact, said the
information Nomidia supplied was 'basically, where they were storing their arms, their tanks'. 'She did an amazing job. That was pretty brave. I know a lot of guys who wouldn't do it in Tripoli at the time. So I'm very proud of her.' With the telephone network under surveillance, the most dangerous part of Nomidia's activities was passing on information about the targets. 'I was using many mobile phones. I used 12 SIM cards and seven different mobile phones,' she said. At one point, a businessman and member of the anti-Gaddafi network gave her a satellite phone to use, though this in itself was risky because the government had outlawed their use. She also changed location frequently. 'One day I called from Tajoura, one day from Souk alJumaa. Different places,' she said, ticking off neighbourhoods in Tripoli. NATO reconnoitered targets for its strikes using satellites and unmanned drones. But there were limits to this approach. In some cases, Gaddafi's forces set up concealed bases inside civilian buildings. Also, the alliance could not be sure there were not civilians at the targets. That was where Nomidia, and others like her, came in. Two months earlier, she had come close to being caught. She found out from her contacts that Gaddafi's security forces had tracked one of the SIM cards she was using, and knew her real first name, though not her family name. 'So I turned off all my mobiles and I kept moving, as well as the whole family, from house to house, just to be safe,' she said. 'That was the most difficult situation.' She said: 'The information about these sites was coming from highly ranked army officers who were not with the regime. 'They were supporting the revolution. My
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father also is a retired officer, so he was cooperating with friends and even family (who were in the military). 'The Gaddafi regime was using civilian sites to store weapons ... I was driving my car, by myself, and went directly to the site and monitored the site, observing the site, for maybe hours, to make sure it should be struck.' The targets hit after Nomidia gave information were a site in the Salaheddin district of Tripoli, formerly used by a Turkish
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company, where pro-Gaddafi militias were storing weapons; a military camp in the Bawabit Al-Jibs neighbourhood; and an intelligence service building in the Sidi ElMasri district. Now Gaddafi's grip on Libya is broken, Nomidia - whose codename derived from Numidia, the name of an ancient North African kingdom - is modest about her role. She described her contribution to undermining Gaddafi's rule in a matter-of-fact way and had to be prompted to reflect on what had been at stake.
Rwanda: Harelimana to Head EAPCCO Council of Ministers AllAfrica.com: 19 September 2011
The Council of Ministers responsible for police affairs in the eastern Africa region, during their 11th annual meeting, unanimously, elected the Minister of Internal Security, Fazil Musa Harelimana as its new chairman. Harelimana, who will head the council for the next one year, takes over from his Sudanese counterpart, Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid. The Council of Ministers' meeting was part of the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs' Cooperation Organisation (EAPCCO) conference held during the course of last week. Harelimana's appointment came after the Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel Gasana, was also elected as the new chairman of the Council of Police Chiefs (CPCs) from the EAPCCO region. The chairmanship of the EAPCCO is rotational among the 12 member countries. In an interview, Harelimana vowed to fight cross-border crimes, especially cyber crimes and the proliferation of small arms, which he said are the major threats to the region's security. "There will be training of police officers to fight these crimes effectively and prevent them (crimes) before they happen," Harelimana said in a telephone interview.
"During the next one year, we want all vehicles in the region to hold certificates indicating the owners, a move to combat vehicle theft. We need Interpol to decentralise information regarding criminals to other security departments like immigration so as to bring various institutions on board," he added. The ministers, during their meeting which followed that of CPCs and subcommittees, also approved the resolutions of the CPCs which include fighting maritime piracy and money laundering. They called upon members to apply the multi-agency approach in addressing the challenges of trans-national and organised crime, decentralise the Interpol Global Police Communication, I-24/7 and to advise member states on measures taken to address the growing challenges of cyber crime. The ministers commended the regional police chiefs for their move to provide support to the newly formed police force in South Sudan, which during the meeting was accepted as a member, to address the challenges of trans-national and organised crime.
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Kenya: Kibaki ignored intelligence service advice on Wetang’ula The Star, 30 August 2011 (ed: excepted)
PRESIDENT Kibaki ignored advice from his trusted friends and national bodies when he reappointed Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetang'ula and his Permanent Secretary Mwangi Thuita last week. The President was advised against reappointing Wetang'ula and Thuita by the National Security Intelligence Service and the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission because the two are yet to be cleared of graft allegations in the Japan Embassy scam, according to multiple sources. “Apart from those two institutions, some of his very trusted advisers also told him not to reappoint the two until they are cleared but the President went ahead to appoint them," said a Cabinet minister close to Kibaki. A CID report on whether Wetang'ula and Thuita were culpable over the inflated
purchase of the Kenyan embassy in Tokyo for Sh1.65 billion has not been made public. Wetang'ula and Thuita stepped aside last October after the House adopted a parliamentary report that demanded Wetang'ula step aside to allow the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate real estate transactions by the ministry in missions abroad. KACC has completed the domestic investigation but is seeking assistance from the Japan government to complete the international probe. Kibaki held various meetings in August with intelligence officials, political advisers and civil servants who repeatedly advised him against reappointing the two before their cases are conclusively dealt with, according to the minister.
Intelligence developments Iran detains six independent filmmakers: BBC AFP– 19 Sept 2011 ( Ed: excerpted)
LONDON — The BBC said Monday that Iran had detained six independent film makers whose work was screened by the broadcaster, but denied they were staff employees. The BBC issued a statement after an Iranian state television website reported that the Islamic republic had arrested five men and a woman for gathering information for the BBC's Farsi language service. "The BBC is aware of reports in the Iranian media alleging that persons working for the BBC Persian service have been arrested in Iran," the BBC statement said.
"The BBC would like to stress that the six filmmakers currently detained in Iran are not BBC staffers. "The individuals in question are independent documentary filmmakers whose films have been screened in festivals and other venues internationally. As is common practice for the channel's documentary showcase programme, BBC Persian television bought the rights to broadcast these films." Liliane Landor, controller of languages at BBC Global News, said the films had not been commissioned by the BBC and accused Iran of trying to intimidate the broadcaster following attempts to jam the service.
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"We consider this to be part of ongoing efforts by the Iranian government to put pressure on the BBC for the impartial and balanced coverage of its Persian-language TV of events in Iran and the wider region," Landor said. "These identified individuals were providing the BBC Farsi with information, films, and secret reports to paint a black picture of Iran and Iranians," the website reported. Iran's Culture Minister Mohammad Hosseini confirmed that the country's "intelligence and security apparatus" had detained several people, ISNA news agency reported. Fars News 19 Sept 2011 (ed:excerpted) The Iranian intelligence ministry confirmed that its forces have arrested members of a
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covert network who wired information to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), accusing them of providing logistic support for enemies' soft war experts. The Public Relations Office of the intelligence ministry said in a statement that the individuals were arrested after continued monitoring and controlling measures and massive intelligence gathering inside and outside the country by Iran's intelligence forces in the past few months. The statement added that members of the secret network, some of whom have been arrested during the past few days, were collaborating with the BBC in a cover-up to fulfill the needs of the British secret service in exchange for big sums of money.
US intelligence head makes rush trip to Ankara Hellas Frappe ,September 20, 2011 (Ed: excerpted)
According press reports from onalert.gr and Today’s Zaman, the head of the US intelligence services would hold meetings with the General Staff, the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and the Foreign Ministry while it was also mentioned that talks would mainly focus on the planned deployment of a US radar system as part of a NATO-backed missile defence system in the eastern Turkish province of Malatya, the fight against the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), as well as the developments in the Middle East. Specifically the report, said that Clapper was in Turkey for a last-pitch by the Obama administration to avert possible sea and air hostilities erupting between Turkey, Greece,
Cyprus and Israel. According to the report, the Turkish PM held a meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in Cairo on September 12 and assured him that Turkey would provide him with the financial and political backing his administration needed. The Israelis accuse Erdogan of taking on a negative stance in relation to the Palestinian issue, by persuading Abbas to keep an intransigent attitude. Following statements by Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu's on the X-band radar, the US official was also authorized to warn Ankara that if it barred the sharing of information with Israel, then the plan for its installation in Turkey would have to be reconsidered and/or even abandoned.
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Turkey: Ankara restructuring intelligence service Hürriyet Daily News; September 18, 2011
living in a dynamic conjuncture. There are Turkey’s secret service is undergoing a silent changes in our region. Why do we have to be but significant administrative and strategic dependent on other countries’ intelligence transformation by focusing more on foreign organizations on these issues? Our intelligence under its new chief, Hakan Fidan, intelligence can do it better,” Davutoğlu said. who hit the headlines over his controversial Praising Fidan’s year-long performance and meetings with terrorists. decision to give more weight to foreign Formerly deputy undersecretary of the office intelligence, Davutoğlu said he widened the of the Prime Ministry, Fidan was appointed as scope of intelligence by improving the chief of the National the organization’s capabilities. The Intelligence Organization, or MİT, a minister emphasized that he was year ago, with plans to sharply split backing Fidan in the change and domestic and foreign intelligence. giving it his full support. Within this plan, MİT’s “Hereafter, Turkey’s intelligence administrative body was amended will be able to have its finger on last year to allow the intelligence the pulse in every corner of the organization to modify its structure. world,” he added. The Hürriyet Daily News has According to Davutoğlu, the learned that a senior on-duty Hakan Fidan transformation at MİT is not ambassador has been appointed as different from other institutions the deputy undersecretary at MİT like the General Staff and is the result of the to deal with foreign intelligence and to growing influence of Turkey’s foreign policy provide coordination between the on the global level. He said the leak of a toporganization and the Foreign Ministry. secret recording is part of a smear campaign Sources said the decision to appoint an against Fidan, hinting at the involvement of ambassador was made before voice Israel, which did not hide its unease at the recordings were leaked of Fidan with senior appointment of Fidan to head MİT, once a members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ good ally of its intelligence service Mossad. Party, or PKK. General directorates on Following Fidan’s appointment and Israel’s strategic and open source intelligence will be raid last year of the Gaza-bound aid ship Mavi subordinated to the diplomat-turnedMarmara, killing nine Turkish activists, intelligence officer. As part of the plan, MİT Mossad cut intelligence-sharing with MİT out has begun to recruit new personnel able to of concerns that information could be passed speak regional languages. The plan also on Iran, Israel’s regional foe. That move was envisions intensified coordination between followed by intelligence organizations of Turkey’s embassies and intelligence some European countries that were mainly organization. dependent on Mossad’s capabilities. Sources Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu described this as a turning point in Turkey’s confirmed the plan Sunday in an interview shift to improving its foreign intelligence with the private channel CNNTürk. “We are capacity.
Turkish general arrested over coup plot PressTV; Sep 5, 2011
Lt. General Ismail Hakki Pekin, the head of the Intelligence Department of the Turkish
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eneral Staff, has been arrested pending trial over an alleged plot to overthrow the government. In an apparently related development, 22 people were charged with setting up websites for subversive purposes in July. The suspects include General Nusret Tasdeler, the head of the Turkish Army's educational command, and retired General Hasan Igsiz, the former commander of the First Army. Around 200 members of the military are
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thought to have planned attacks on mosques and worked to create tension in neighboring Greece to pave the way for a coup to topple the government, which was planned for 2003 but never carried out. In response to the coup plot, codenamed Operation Sledgehammer, Turkish courts have ordered the arrest of about one tenth of the country's generals. The Turkish military has carried out four successful coups over the past 50 years.
Snooping row over Bettencourt case flares up in France BBC; 2 September 2011 (Ed: excerpted)
France's government has confirmed the country's secret service obtained phone records of a journalist investigating alleged illegal political donations. But Interior Minister Claude Gueant denied the counterintelligence operation amounted to eavesdropping on the reporter for Le Monde newspaper. It is alleged that his 2007 election campaign received at least 150,000 euros (£132,000; $215,000) from the richest woman in France, 88-year-old Liliane Bettencourt. Private donors in France may, by law, only give a maximum of 7,500 euros a year to a political party. But Mr Gueant confirmed on Thursday that France's counter-intelligence service (DCRI) had obtained the phone records of Le Monde
investigative journalist Gerard Davet. It gathered them in July of last year in order to identify a source in the justice ministry being used by the journalist, he said. "The gathering of telephone communications is quite different from eavesdropping," the minister added. The paper itself filed a lawsuit in September accusing Mr Sarkozy's office of spying on its journalist. A formal investigation was opened in May. The campaigning group Reporters Without Borders has spoken of its concern that French legislation to protect the secrecy of journalistic sources is being "deliberately trampled on by the French intelligence services, not for national security reasons but to protect top government officials from embarrassing revelations".
China’s Growing Spy Threat The Diplomat; September 19, 2011 (Ed: excerpted) The Chinese government’s ‘vacuum cleaner’ approach to espionage is worrying foreign governments, companies and overseas dissidents. They’re right to be concerned.
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Beijing fiercely denies it. Much of the world ignores it. But according to analysts and officials, the communist-controlled People’s Republic of China operates the single largest intelligence-gathering apparatus in the world—and its growing appetite for secrets has apparently become insatiable. From economic and military espionage to keeping tabs on exiled dissidents, China’s global spying operations are rapidly expanding. And, therefore, so is the threat. Some analysts even argue the regime—which is also gobbling up such key natural resources as farmland, energy, and minerals—has an eye on dominating the world. Estimates on the number of spies and agents employed by the communist state vary widely. According to public statements by French author and investigative journalist Roger Faligot, who has written several books about the regime’s security services, there are around two million Chinese working directly or indirectly for China’s intelligence apparatus. Other analysts say it would be impossible to count the exact number. ‘I doubt they know themselves,’ says Richard Fisher, a senior fellow on Asian military affairs at the Washington-based International Assessment and Strategy Center. Regardless, the number is undoubtedly extraordinary. ‘China can rightly claim to have the world’s largest, most amorphous, but also most active intelligence sector,’ he says. That’s partly because it operates very differently from most. ‘When you consider that China’s intelligence community views any foreign-deployed Chinese citizen, any Chinese delegation, all Chinese criminal networks, and all overseas Chinese with any tangible affinity or connection to the Motherland as a target for recruitment, then you have to find a different way to measure,’
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Fisher explains. ‘This has to start with the consideration that any Chinese, especially those from China, from student to CEO, are potential active intelligence assets.’ Other analysts echo his concerns, and a simple fact: the regime’s spies are increasingly active across the globe. Since 2008, more and more intelligence-training colleges—‘spy schools’—have been popping up at universities across the country. Meanwhile, Chinese satellite-reconnaissance and cyber espionage capabilities are expanding at an unprecedented speed. Officials are, probably for good reason, skittish when discussing China and its intelligence collection operations. But there’s near unanimous agreement—and court convictions in countries around the globe support the premise—that, in terms of sophistication, scope, and international capabilities, the perils of Chinese espionage are on the rise. ‘The danger is pronounced,’ warns Charles Viar, chairman of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Intelligence Studies. ‘In my view, no one is really doing enough to deal with the Chinese threat. It is too large, and by Western standards, too unconventional.’ Among the array of growing dangers associated with Chinese spying: the regime’s increasingly advanced cyber capabilities. While the techniques are used to steal ever more information of all sorts, the potential for devastating offensive operations exists as well. Leaked US diplomatic cables and cybersecurity analysts suggest that Chinese military intelligence has been involved in countless network penetrations in recent years. In some instances, evidence suggests that the regime is even able to remotely control sensitive systems.
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Consider one example: In 2009, senior US officials reported that cyber spies—at least some of whom were Chinese—infiltrated the US electrical grid. And after breaking in, they left software behind that could be used to cause disruptions or possibly even shut the system down. The Evolution of the Menace Though the evolving threats are more advanced and dangerous today than ever before, Chinese espionage is nothing new. In fact, it began centuries ago—well before the communist regime rose to power. ‘China has a history of organized intelligence-gathering operations that goes back to the 15th century—perhaps even earlier,’ says Joseph Fitsanakis, a senior editor with Intel News who teaches classes on espionage, intelligence, and covert action at King College’s Department of History and Political Science. The Chinese, however, took it to a new level. Up until two to three decades ago, the regime’s spying was largely domestic in nature, Fitsanakis explains—primarily targeting perceived enemies and dissidents within China. But in the post1980s era, with economic reforms and growing affluence pacifying much of the internal unrest, Chinese intelligence collection efforts began to focus more on the outside world. Today, according to experts and former counterintelligence officials, Chinese spying represents one of the largest threats to US security. And the sheer size of the regime’s espionage apparatus ‘is proving a good match for the more advanced automated systems used by its less populous regional rivals, including Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan,’ adds Fitsanakis. Espionage & Influence Like the intelligence services of most large and powerful countries, a significant segment of China’s spying apparatus is devoted to collecting information on foreign
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governments—particularly in terms of their military and political systems. Vast numbers of Chinese spies have been caught stealing such secrets. In fact, it’s known that the regime has already acquired some of the United States’ most sensitive secrets. A US Congressional Committee and then-Director of National Intelligence George Tenet found as early as the late-1990s that China had even obtained information on the United States’ most advanced nuclear weapons. That’s not all. ‘China has managed to gather a great deal of information on US stealth technology, naval propulsion systems, electronic warfare systems, and nuclear weapons through espionage,’ says Larry Wortzel, a commissioner and former chairman on the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, and the ex-director of the US Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute. ‘That is documented in convictions in US courts.’ The regime, however, wants more. A few Chinese espionage cases have made headlines recently, such as the scandal involving former weapons analyst Gregg Bergersen with the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency. A leaked video of him selling sensitive information about US military collaboration with Taiwan—a nation which the communist regime considers a breakaway territory— sparked a new level of public interest in Chinese espionage just last year. But most cases barely cause a stir. According to an analysis of US Justice Department records by the Associated Press, there have been at least 58 defendants charged in federal court for China-related espionage since 2008. Most have been convicted, while the rest are awaiting trial or on the run. Hundreds of investigations are ongoing.
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Chinese General Spills Spy Secrets ABC News; 31 August 2011
Chinese leaders are usually very tight lipped about all internal matters, especially cases of espionage. However in a video clip recently leaked onto YouTube, a Chinese general is seen talking candidly, revealing that China had covered up a number of spy cases in the past decade, mainly out of embarrassment. The footage was apparently taken back on March 17 when Chinese Major General Jin Yinan gave a lecture at the headquarters of the state-owned China Life Insurance, one of China’s largest insurance companies. Normally a lecturer at an elite military officer college in Beijing, Jin started going off near the end of his two and half hour talk about the many Communist Party members who have “turned rotten” and sold state secrets to foreign countries. His captive audience of China Life Insurance employees were apparently there as a part of an internal study session in the run-up to the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party early this summer. In almost a resigned sigh, Jin talked about the case of Li Bin, the former Chinese ambassador to South Korea. Jin claimed Li passed on sensitive information to the South Koreans and when the authorities finally caught the ambassador, they ended up charging him with corruption instead of espionage because they thought it would be too embarrassing for China. ”That is a huge scandal,” Jin said in the video. “Li Bin [could] only be sentenced to seven,
eight years. He could not be given a longer term. Why? To save face.” ”In all the world, what nation’s ambassador serves as another country’s spy?” Jin said. He also goes on to talk about another senior official who spied – just as his father had done a generation before – but at least the father did not do it for the other side. Among the other nuggets Jin shared in his presentation: a senior military officer accused of selling intelligence after being passed over for a promotion; a high-level official executed for being a spy for Taiwan; another official who passed sensitive documents to the British during the negotiations over Hong Kong’s return; and a government think-tank scholar who had the audacity to be on the payroll of five foreign intelligence services. ”After decades of economic reforms, we are witnessing the lack of ideological strength and the breaching of our ‘spiritual dam’ leading to this recent round of betrayal,” he opined. In is unknown why Jin was so uncharacteristically open in sharing this information with this particular insuranceselling audience but one could imagine that these stories were being offered up as a cautionary tales. Beijing has, on the other hand, characteristically not commented on the video but it has been removed from most Chinese video-sharing sites.
South Korea Spy agency detains NK defector for assassination plot The Korea Times; 16 September 2011
Korea's spy agency has detained a North Korean defector for an alleged assassination attempt against a fellow defector acting as an anti-North Korean activist, an intelligence official said Friday. The suspect, identified by his last name Ahn in his 40s, was taken into
custody for plotting to kill Park Sang-hak, who has led a high-profile campaign to send antiPyongyang leaflets into the North for years. The leaflets include stories of the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East in hopes of
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inspiring North Koreans to eventually rise up against North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. The North has bristled at any outside criticism of its leader and threatened to open fire over the propaganda activity in recent months. Park said the suspect phoned him to meet in a Seoul subway station earlier this month by offering to help his leafleting campaign. However, Park did not show up at the meeting after being tipped by South Korea's National Intelligence Service on the suspect's possible assassination attempt. The suspect was arrested by intelligence officials at the subway station and is being questioned whether he acted on North Korea's order. The suspect, who served in the special forces before defecting to the South, began to call Park in February after disappearing for about five to six years. He was also carrying a poisoning device when he was arrested. The spy agency plans to refer the case to prosecutors in coming weeks.
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The arrest came less than two weeks after a South Korean missionary died in the Chinese border city of Dandong just across from North Korea after suddenly collapsing in the street. Some South Koreans claimed that the missionary was poisoned to death by a North Korean agent, though an autopsy found no poison in his body. The North has said it opposes all forms of terrorism, though it has a track record of terrorist attacks against South Korea. In July last year, two North Korean agents were sentenced to 10 years in prison by a court on charges of attempting to assassinate Hwang Jang-yop, the former secretary of the North's ruling Workers' Party. South Korea also arrested another North Korean spy a month later on the same charges of plotting to kill Hwang. Hwang, the highest official ever defected to the South and a vocal critic of the North Korean leader, died from heart failure late last year. (Yonhap)
New Zealand's new top spy boss revealed Stuff.co.nz. 8 September 2011
1989, after working as a diplomat for New A former high flyer in the British civil service Zealand. He's worked at the European is New Zealand's new top spy. Ian Fletcher Commission and for the UN before becoming has returned to New Zealand from stints in principal private secretary to Sir Andrew England and Australia to head up the Turnbull, head of the Home Government Communications Civil Service. He was also chief Security Bureau (GSCB). He executive of the UK Patent replaces Sir Jerry Mateparae, Office. Announcing the who was sworn in as Governorappointment Prime Minister General last week. Fletcher will John Key said he has '' policy quit his post as the Directorand operational experience General and Chief Executive particularly in relation to Officer of the Queensland State's international economic and Department of Employment, trade matters.'' The GCSB Economic Development and GSCB Head Ian gathers foreign intelligence to Innovation and take over running protect New Zealand's security, defence, the GSCB early next year, for five years. He economic and other interests. began working in the British civil service in
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Analysis: As Petraeus becomes America's top spy, will he militarise the CIA?
Newly-retired General David Petraeus is well aware that his swearing-in as the new director of the CIA might stoke concerns about the "militarization" of the US spy agency. Telegraph; 06 Sep 2011 (Ed: excerpted)
and military ones in the battle against al It was one of the reasons the storied Qaeda - including the CIA's armed Predator battlefield commander hung up his uniform drone campaign in Pakistan, a program which last week after a 37-year career in the Army. appears to have scored a major victory with It may also be why he appears so intent on an August 22 strike that killed al Qaeda's fulfilling a pledge to leave his military second-in-command. entourage - "braintrusts" as he calls them General Petraeus attempted to address the behind when he arrives at the CIA's Langley, issue head-on at his confirmation hearing in Virginia, compound. June, saying one of the reasons he was But even as he surrounds himself with civilian retiring from the military - even though no advisors, a process sources say is well under law compelled him to do so - was to allay way, questions remain about the influence concerns about the General Petraeus might militarization of the CIA. have on the CIA, both He also said he would analytically and in its use seek to represent the of lethal force against al "Agency position" on Qaeda. matters including the war General Petraeus cannot in Afghanistan. be expected to divorce Sources tell Reuters that himself from a view a longtime CIA insider shared at the highest not one of Petraeus' levels of the US military "guys" - has been named that the Afghan war is as his new chief of staff. broadly trending in the One person familiar with right direction and that CIA Director Genl David the matter identified him the Taliban's momentum as Rodney Snyder, who has previously has been reversed. The CIA has been more worked on the White House national security cautious in its assessment of the decade-old staff, but officials would not confirm it. conflict than the military. How the General General Petraeus' supporters say the veteran will reconcile those visions of the war effort military leader, known for his political savvy he commanded until July, and reassure CIA and sharp intellect - he holds a doctoral analysts of his objectivity, could be one of the degree from Princeton and at one point was biggest challenges he is facing in this rumoured as a potential presidential transition. candidate - is more than capable of Then there are larger questions about the succeeding as CIA director. blurred lines between covert CIA operations
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Still, the obstacles facing him are daunting. The CIA recently completed an updated "District Assessment on Afghanistan," which remains classified. Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, citing one military official, said the document used the word "stalemate" to describe the conflict and did not adhere to US military claims that the Taliban's momentum had been reversed. General Petraeus, in his Army retirement speech on August 31, cited "progress against
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al Qaeda and the reversal of Taliban momentum in Afghanistan." That is not his only challenge. He is expected as CIA director to embrace the campaign of drone strikes in Pakistan, a nominally covert CIA operation that has fueled anti-American sentiment but put heavy pressure on militant safe havens. But continuing or stepping up drone attacks risks further straining relations between the CIA and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence directorate.
Colombia: Ex-Spy Chief Sentenced to Prison New York Times; September 14, 2011
Colombia’s consul general in Milan, after he Jorge Noguera, Colombia’s former spymaster, resigned from the intelligence agency in was convicted on Wednesday of collaborating 2005. with paramilitary assassination squads and Mr. Uribe, in a Twitter message Wednesday, sentenced to 25 years in prison for his seemed uncharacteristically regretful involvement in the 2004 murder of a regarding Mr. Noguera. “I nominated him prominent sociologist. because of his résumé and his family,” The ruling by Colombia’s he said. “I trusted him; if he Supreme Court was the latest transgressed the law, it pains me and I blow to the country’s troubled offer apologies to the citizenry.” intelligence agency, the Administrative Department of Four other officials appointed by Mr. Security, which has struggled Uribe to run the agency resigned amid with a long-simmering scandal accusations of illegal surveillance, and over its espionage activities, Colombia is now seeking the including collusion with rightextradition from Panama of one wing militias and illegal former agency chief, María del Pilar wiretapping of government Hurtado, in connection with the critics. surveillance of human rights activists, Jorge Noguera journalists and judges under her The tactics used by the watch. intelligence agency have cast doubt about its operations under former President Álvaro Still, the case against Mr. Noguera, 47, who Uribe, who has staunchly defended Mr. was also found guilty of destroying and hiding Noguera and other disgraced directors of the public documents, was the most serious. Mr. agency. “I put my hands into fire for him,” Mr. Noguera served as Mr. Uribe’s first Uribe famously said in 2006 of Mr. Noguera. intelligence chief from 2002 to 2005, a period Mr. Uribe appointed Mr. Noguera to be in which prosecutors said he shared with
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paramilitary leaders a list of trade union activists to be made targets for assassination. The Supreme Court did not find Mr. Noguera guilty of aggravated homicide in the killings of a politician, Fernando Pisciotti, and a journalist, Zully Codina, in 2003. But it found him guilty in connection to the killing of Alfredo Correa de Andreis, a well-known sociologist who was shot in Barranquilla in 2004 by paramilitary assassins. After Mr. Noguera’s arrest in 2007, prosecutors investigating his case unraveled an intricate effort by the intelligence agency to frame Mr. Correa de Andreis, who had investigated paramilitary activities in parts of Colombia, as a collaborator of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
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According to testimony from one of Mr. Noguera’s former senior deputies at the agency, Mr. Noguera helped to coordinate the assassination. The assertion was corroborated by documents and other testimony obtained by investigators. José Humberto Torres, a lawyer for the Correa de Andreis family, said the investigation also found that money from the agency had been used for the murder. “We always said that DAS was responsible,” said Mr. Torres, referring to the agency by its acronym in Spanish. “Now, almost seven years to the day after the crime committed on Sept. 17, 2004, Colombian justice has shown we were right from the start.”
Wiretapping Scandal Shakes Colombia NPR; 31 August 2011 (Ed: excerpted)
The purpose was to find ties between the In Colombia, a major scandal involving the criminal underworld and the court in order to country's intelligence service is unfolding. discredit the country's highest judicial body. Colombia's chief prosecutor says the spy service bugged the Supreme Court, "Through the intercepted the phones of intelligence agency, they its justices and followed tried to control, attack their every move. and discredit — actions Prosecutors also say the that cannot be viewed as illegal surveillance was some isolated DAS plan, directed from the offices of an entity that is former President Alvaro dependent on the Uribe, who in his eight presidency of the years in power was republic," prosecutor Washington's closest ally in Misael Rodriguez said at Latin America. a court hearing earlier this year. With hours of tape as evidence, prosecutors say He says Bernardo the Department of Moreno, Uribe's chief of Administrative Services staff, oversaw the effort. (DAS), which is under the Moreno has been Former Colombian President president's control, charged and is in jail Alvaro Uribe targeted the court's awaiting trial. He denies © Getty justices and the the accusations. investigative magistrates, who function Former President Uribe, who left office last something like prosecutors. year and has not been charged, denies any involvement.
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She learned the driver needed to pay child But prosecutors say the president's office support for several children, so she paid him. wanted to derail court investigations linking And she learned that he admired Uribe, the llegal armed groups and congressmen allied then-president. with Uribe. "Let's do it for the president," she recalls The person responsible for the bugging was telling him. Alba Luz Florez, a 33-year-old former agent known to DAS as Y-66. The small office of Velasquez, the star investigative magistrate, had once been "They made me see it as a national security bugged. "Here I talk to all kinds of people, [issue], that national security could be with lawyers, with eventual compromised by this witnesses that can provide possible information, people who connection," Florez know about things that says, referring to happen in their regions and possible underworld want to help," says ties with judges. "So Velasquez, sitting at his for me it was an desk. "There are risks to honor [to undertake these declarations. What I the operation]." mean is that a microphone Florez, who avoided here could be very charges by effective." cooperating with prosecutors, used Alba Luz Florez, a former Colombian He says the surveillance was designed to intimidate him court security intelligence agent and witnesses. people, chauffeurs and even the coffee ladies to plant bugs and But to date, 30 congressmen — virtually all gather intelligence. allies of Uribe — have been convicted after being investigated by the court. Among those she recruited was the driver for the court's top investigative magistrate, Ivan And the attorney general's office has also Velasquez. "I knew everything about his been busy: Four of Uribe's top aides are family, absolutely everything about his under investigation. The former president's children," Florez says, referring to the driver. conduct is also under review, by a special "So I began to see what he liked, how I could legislative commission. perhaps fill his needs."
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