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Trial of IRA trio in Colombia questioned

Lawyers for three IRA-linked men convicted of providing terrorist training to Colombian guerrillas expressed hope Wednesday the verdict will be overturned on appeal after a member of the three-judge panel said questionable evidence was allowed in court.

Magistrate Jorge Enrique Torres, in his signed dissenting opinion, said much of the evidence used to convict James Monaghan, Niall Connolly and Martin McCauley -- whose whereabouts are now unknown -- was "questionable."

Torres was on the three-judge panel that convicted the trio in December and sentenced them to 17 years in a Colombian prison, overturning an earlier acquittal on the terrorism-related charges. Torres' statement shows he sharply differed with the other two judges on the panel who voted to convict the trio.

The defense attorneys, who presented Torres' statement at a press conference Wednesday after it was released by the court, said they would use it to reinforce their appeal made in February to Colombia's Supreme Court.

"I was overwhelmed by the countless amount of technical evidence used in this case that was questionable," Torres wrote.

Pedro Mahecha, one of the defense attorneys, claimed the dissenting judge's arguments indicate the other two judges convicted the trio due to pressure from Colombian politicians and military officials.

"Torres clearly points out that there was no certainty of guilt in the case," Mahecha said. "The ruling was completely politicized."

After their initial acquittal in June, the trio walked out of a Bogota prison and were ordered to remain in Colombia pending the government's appeal of the acquittal. But have not been heard from since.

Jorge Noguera, head of Colombia's secret police DAS, said Wednesday he's certain the men have fled the country.

The trio, who have been linked to the Irish Republican Army, were arrested at Bogota's airport in August 2001 after leaving a stronghold of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, deep in Colombia's southern jungles.

Authorities accused them of teaching FARC rebels how to make bombs and mortars.
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