Excerpt from State Department daily briefing, May 10, 2002

Excerpt from State Department daily briefing, May 10, 2002

Daily Press Briefing
Richard Boucher, Spokesman
Washington, DC
May 10, 2002

QUESTION: Can you go back to the issue you were asked about yesterday about the funding for Colombia? There has now been a report that some of this US aid has vanished.

MR. BOUCHER: Let me give you the real facts on this one. I think I said yesterday it sounded weird and I didn't know anything, both of which were correct, I must say. So let me give you the facts. I've got them today.

We discovered about two months ago that there was a diversion of US Government funds from an account used by the Colombia counter-narcotics police to cover administrative expenses. That's things like office supplies and fuel for vehicles. At that time, we froze the account. This funding is a very, very small part of our overall assistance to Colombia and has not directly affected our counter-narcotics programs, including the aerial eradication program.

Immediately upon determining that diversions were occurring, we raised the issue with Colombian authorities. The Government of Colombia immediately began an investigation through President Pastrana's Office Against Corruption. Six Colombian counter-narcotics police officials -- that's two colonels, two majors and two captains -- have been removed from the police so far.

The Colombian Attorney General is also exploring possible criminal violations. As the administrative review is not yet complete -- the criminal investigation is still underway -- it is not appropriate for us to discuss this in much further detail.

This just in -- the Colombian National Police Anti-Narcotics Director General has been reassigned and replaced by General Jorge Enrique Linares. General Linares is well known to US Embassy personnel, considered to be highly qualified.

QUESTION: So (inaudible)?

MR. BOUCHER: Well, not yet. We do expect there will be further administrative action against other individuals who appear to be involved. When that's happened, we can resume full administrative support for Colombian counter-narcotics police activities. There's about $2 million involved.

QUESTION: Can I just -- getting back to this perennial question of "expect," when you say you expect further -- does that mean you think that the Colombians are going to, or you want the Colombians to?

MR. BOUCHER: I think in this case it means both.

QUESTION: Can you just clarify -- this was money that was just pocketed? Did they just use it to enrich themselves personally, or was it they were using it for something --

MR. BOUCHER: I don't know that we know exactly yet. There is an investigation underway that I think would determine ultimately where the funds ended up. But we know the funds were diverted from an account. They're not where they should be.

QUESTION: Same country?

MR. BOUCHER: Same country. Sure.

QUESTION: Do you think this is an isolated incident?

MR. BOUCHER: It's a very, very small part of a major program. As you know, we always look at our programs to make sure that the funds are being properly accounted for. This problem indeed was discovered by US Embassy oversight measures that are designed to ensure that US Government funds are properly used. And then we worked with the Colombians on the investigation.

Our support for the counter-narcotics programs and for the Colombian counter-narcotics police remains strong. We are confident of the professionalism and the dedication of the vast majority of its members.

QUESTION: You guys notified Congress that you're going to be moving AID offices in Bogotá from an off-site, off-embassy compound location to the Embassy. Can you explain why this is being done?

MR. BOUCHER: No.

QUESTION: You don't want to talk about the car bomb?

MR. BOUCHER: I'll find out. Well, if you want to hear about the car bomb that was discovered a couple months ago, I think it was -- no?

QUESTION: April.

MR. BOUCHER: April 28th, okay. Somewhere between a couple days and a couple months.

April 28th, Colombian police successfully deactivated explosives in a vehicle parked near a commercial office building in Bogotá that houses, among other things, a major Colombian newspaper called El Tiempo, US Agency for International Development, the German Embassy, the offices of the Colombian Electric Company and a number of businesses. We have no indication that the US Agency for International Development was a specific target, but as a precaution we have begun relocating USAID employees to the Embassy compound. And that should be completed shortly.

As of May 15, 2002, this document was also available online at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2002/10081.htm