[JURIST] Colombian prosecutors have indicted prominent political boss Alvaro Araujo Noguera, accusing him of complicity in the 2002 kidnapping of a member of a rival political clan. Some say the kidnapping is part of a campaign by illegal paramilitary groups [JURIST news archive] to elect sympathetic politicians.

Members of the political elite in Colombia [JURIST news archive] have been repeatedly accused of conspiring with right-wing paramilitary groups. Last week, authorities arrested a former intelligence chief [JURIST report] on charges of murder and conspiracy for allegedly contracting with paramilitaries to assassinate political opponents, including human rights activists [JURIST report] and union leaders. AP has more.