This Saturday the National Police of Colombia will promote General Francisco Patino to the rank of Major General.
General Francisco Patino is currently under investigation for encouraging false witnesses to make false statements and tampering with the crime scene of murdered graffiti artist Diego Felipe Becerra, a 16 year-old boy who was killed in the city of Bogota on Friday night August 19, 2011. Patino was the Bogota Police Commander when Diego Felipe Becerra was shot dead from behind by policeman Wilmer Alarcon.
During the preliminary investigations, the Attorney General’s office heard one witness who stated that on Tuesday August 23, General Patino was seen in a cafeteria conversing with Miguel Narvaez, a bus driver who later that Tuesday was transported in a police vehicle to a police station and filed a report accusing Diego Felipe of having assaulted and robbed passengers on his bus, on Friday night August 19. Prosecutors have already found bus driver Miguel Narvaez guilty of making false statements and perjury. Narvaez was found to have contradicted himself on several occasions: his bus had transit restrictions on August 19 and was not on the road that night, the alleged robbery was formally reported on Thursday August 18, and the description he gave of what the robbers were wearing did not match Diego’s clothes. Currently Narvaez is in prison awaiting sentence.
The media has indicated that it is highly unusual for the police to transport individuals in official vehicles to their own police stations for them to file robbery reports. It is even more unusual for a Police General to meet with victims of crimes in cafeterias.
Currently there are 7 high ranking police officers, 18 policemen and 7 civilians under investigation for tampering with the crime scene: policemen allegedly found a gun on the pavement after members of the Technical Investigation Team of the Attorney General’s Office surveyed the area and found nothing, on the night of the shooting. Policeman Wilmer Alarcon is in prison as well awaiting sentence. His lawyer was sent to prison too for making false statements. Other three low ranking policemen have been detained and are awaiting their corresponding hearings.
Despite all the evidence, on Saturday June 1st the Colombian congress will promote General Patino to a position where he will gain even greater power. Tell President Santos and the Colombian congress to hold the promotion until the investigations are complete.
Dear Mr. President Honourable Juan Manuel Santos
Dear Mr. Congress President Honourable Dr. Roy Barreras
We the undersigned kindly ask you to refrain from granting Police General Francisco Patino a promotion, due to his involvement in the alleged encouragement of false statements in the investigation for the death of graffiti artist Diego Felipe Becerra.
The fact that a witness has given testimony that General Patino was seen in a cafeteria conversing with bus driver Miguel Narvaez, and that some weeks later Narvaez was found guilty of making false statements against the deceased Diego Felipe Becerra, shows that prosecutors still need to further their investigations in this matter.
Please hold the promotion of General Patino until the prosecutors assigned to the case complete their investigation.
