Colombia's vice-President Francisco Santos said Thursday that accusations of his involvement with paramilitary groups is part of a conspiracy to discredit him.
The vice-President is currently being investigated by the Prosecutor General's Office after declarations by extradited paramilitary leader Salvatore Mancuso that he had requested the forming of a paramilitary group in Bogota.
These accusations, Santos told Caracol Radio, "are part of a conspiracy" that had been warned for ever since the heads of paramilitary organization were in jail.
The vice-President said the paramilitaries tried "pressuring the government not to extradite them."
"Those who are happiest with what's going on are the human rights NGOs and the paramilitaries," Santos said.
