Colombian Prosecutor Accuses Army Colonel of Receiving Payments to Aid Guerrilla Groups

Colombian Army Colonel Carlos Didier Pérez Amorocho has been charged by prosecutors for allegedly receiving money from the National Liberation Army (ELN) and FARC dissidents. The arrest occurred Thursday, with prosecutors alleging that Pérez Amorocho provided classified information about military operations in the departments of Arauca and Nariño in exchange for payments.

According to the prosecution's statement, the colonel received an initial payment of 15 million pesos (approximately $3,900 USD) in 2020. Subsequently, he allegedly received weekly payments totaling 30 million pesos (approximately $7,800 USD) to facilitate the activities of these illegal armed groups in the specified regions.

At the time of the alleged payments, Colonel Pérez Amorocho commanded a battalion in Arauca and is accused of reducing offensives against the ELN's Eastern War Front. Later, in July 2025, he took command of an elite unit in Nariño and allegedly established ties with the Alfonso Cano Bloc of the Second Marquetalia, a FARC dissident group. During this period, he is accused of agreeing to weekly payments in exchange for advance warnings about security force movements, which would aid in the transport of narcotics, weapons, and money.

The investigation also attributes to him the alleged obstruction of troop movements during an April offensive in Nariño, which reportedly allowed illegal armed group leaders to escape. For these alleged actions, a prosecutor from the Special Investigation Unit (UEI) has charged him with aggravated conspiracy, bribery, and illegal manufacturing, trafficking, and possession of restricted weapons or explosives. Colonel Pérez Amorocho was arrested in a military canton in Bogotá and has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

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Material evidence indicates a first payment of 15 million pesos (about $3,900) in 2020 and, subsequently, weekly payments amounting to 30 million pesos to favor the actions of these illegal armed groups in Arauca and Nariño.