BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian authorities on Tuesday ordered the arrest of President Alvaro Uribe's cousin and one of his closest allies for suspected ties to paramilitary death squads in a deepening political scandal.
The probe into Mario Uribe, who has been the president'spolitical confidant for years, could fuel concerns among U.S.Democrats who oppose a Colombian trade deal partly because ofworries over lingering paramilitary influence in politics.
Alvaro Uribe, a close U.S. partner, has eased Colombia'sconflict by driving back rebels and negotiating the surrenderof paramilitary fighters who are accused of carrying outmassacres and drug trafficking in the name ofcounter-insurgency.
But more than 60 lawmakers -- many from political partiesallied to the president -- are now under investigation in theso-called "para-political" scandal and at least 32 of those arein jail while prosecutors probe their ties to the militias.
Mario Uribe, a second cousin to the president and a formercongressional chief, was ordered detained on conspiracy chargeson suspicion he struck deals with former paramilitarycommanders when they were still active, the attorney general'soffice said in a statement.
"Uribe is being investigated for a meeting he had withformer paramilitary commander Salvatore Mancuso before theelections of March 10, 2002 and with Jairo Castillo Peralta,alias "Pitirri," in November 1998," it said.
The former lawmaker, who has previously denied anywrongdoing, will be arrested if he does not surrender to thechief prosecutor's office in Bogota.
Mario Uribe stepped down from the Senate in October lastyear to protect himself from questions from the Supreme Court,which investigates public officials. But the attorney generalhas kept up its probe into his ties with militia warlords.
Hundreds of former paramilitary commanders disbanded theirarmies under a deal with Uribe's government, which allowed themshort jail terms for promising to confess their crimes andcompensate their victims.
But rights groups and some U.S. lawmakers worry the formercommanders have kept their criminal networks alive from theirjail cells and they want Uribe to do more to curb theirlingering influence and protect trade unionists before theyback a free trade deal for his government.
(Reporting by Patrick Markey in Bogota; Editing by EricWalsh)