Criminal organization accused of spying on Colombian-FARC peace talks

BOGOTA, May 7 (UPI) —

A criminal organization accused of spying on the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in an attempt to derail peace talks is the target of an ongoing government investigation.

Colombian Attorney General Eduardo Montealegre revealed this week that authorities had raided the office where the spying occurred and recovered intercepts from the peace talks that began in Cuba in November 2012.

"This office intercepted emails from the press chief of the FARC in (the Cuban capital) Havana, an institutional email from the national government, and two emails from Cuban journalists who are covering the peace process in Havana" he said.

"The purpose of this office, the purpose of the people who were involved in this criminal enterprise, was to sabotage, interfere and affect the peace process in Havana… It appears that, through this office of interceptions, the emails of the president of the republic were also probably intercepted."

Colombian authorities have so far arrested one person in connection with the illegal activity although they do not yet know who was financing the operation.

Andres Sepulveda was arrested on suspicion of directing the spying and selling intercepted information to third parties.