Editing Pablo Escobar (section)

=== Virginia Vallejo's testimony ===
{{See also|Virginia Vallejo|Alberto Santofimio|Alfonso López Michelsen|Ernesto Samper|Álvaro Uribe}}
On 4 July 2006, [[Virginia Vallejo]], a television anchorwoman romantically involved with Escobar from 1983 to 1987, offered Attorney General [[Mario Germán Iguarán Arana|Mario Iguarán]] her testimony in the trial against former Senator [[Alberto Santofimio]], who was accused of [[List of political conspiracies|conspiracy]] in the 1989 assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán. Iguarán acknowledged that, although Vallejo had contacted his office on 4 July, the judge had decided to close the trial on 9 July, several weeks before the prospective closing date. The action was seen as too late.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://virginiavallejo.com/Attorney-General-on-VV-testimony.pdf|title=Colombian Attorney General on Virginia Vallejo's offer to testify against Santofimio|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110301025436/http://virginiavallejo.com/Attorney-General-on-VV-testimony.pdf|archive-date=1 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Back to jail for Colombia ex-minister |url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/world/back-to-jail-for-colombia-ex-minister-1129325 |work=Independent Online |location=Bogotá |date=1 September 2011 |access-date=19 October 2017 |archive-date=3 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403181540/https://www.iol.co.za/news/world/back-to-jail-for-colombia-ex-minister-1129325 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 18 July 2006, Vallejo was taken to the United States on a special flight of the [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] (DEA) for "safety and security reasons" due to her cooperation in high-profile criminal cases.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717210828/http://www.virginiavallejo.com/herald-0716-2006.html|archive-date=17 July 2011|url=http://www.virginiavallejo.com/herald-0716-2006.html|title=Virginia Vallejo takes refuge in United States|publisher=Virginia Vallejo}} reprinted and translated from {{cite news|title=Virginia Vallejo|date=16 July 2006|work=El Nuevo Herald|author=Gonzalo Guillen}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2006Jul18/0,4670,ColombiaEscobarapossLover,00.html|title=Pablo Escobar's Ex-Lover Flees Colombia|publisher=Fox News Channel|access-date=1 April 2009|archive-date=17 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117001134/http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2006Jul18/0,4670,ColombiaEscobarapossLover,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On 24 July, a video in which Vallejo had accused Santofimio of instigating Escobar to eliminate presidential candidate Galán was aired by [[RCN Television]] of Colombia. The video was seen by 14 million people, and was instrumental for the reopened case of Galán's assassination. On 31 August 2011 Santofimio was sentenced to 24 years in prison for his role in the crime.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.radionizkor.org/colombia/vallejo.mp3|title=Testimony of Virginia Vallejo in 2006|access-date=21 September 2018|archive-date=11 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911111859/http://www.radionizkor.org/colombia/vallejo.mp3|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.radionizkor.org/colombia/index.html#vallejo|title=Radio Nizkor: Colombia.|website=www.radionizkor.org|access-date=21 September 2018|archive-date=22 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181222060101/http://www.radionizkor.org/colombia/index.html#vallejo|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Role in the Palace of Justice siege ====
[[File:Policía de antaño (5580817176).jpg|thumb|Escobar funded the [[19th of April Movement|M-19 communist guerrilla]] for the assault of the Colombian Palace of Justice.]]
Among Escobar's biographers, only Vallejo has given a detailed explanation of his role in the 1985 [[Palace of Justice siege]]. She stated that Escobar had financed the operation, which was committed by [[19th of April Movement|M-19]]; she blamed the army for the killings of more than 100 people, including 11 Supreme Court magistrates, M-19 members, and employees of the cafeteria. Her statements prompted the reopening of the case in 2008; Vallejo was asked to testify, and many of the events she had described in her book and testimonial were confirmed by Colombia's Commission of Truth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caracol.com.co/oir.aspx?id=659517|title=Virginia Vallejo testificó en el caso Palacio de Justicia|date=27 August 2008|publisher=Caracol Radio |access-date=3 May 2011|archive-date=14 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214094901/http://www.caracol.com.co/oir.aspx?id=659517}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://nsarchive.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/truth-commission-blames-state-for-palace-of-justice-tragedy/|title=Truth Commission Blames Colombian State for Palace of Justice Tragedy|date=17 December 2009|publisher=UNREDACTED|author=Michael Evans|access-date=3 May 2011|archive-date=5 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505103942/http://nsarchive.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/truth-commission-blames-state-for-palace-of-justice-tragedy/|url-status=live}}</ref> These events led to further investigation into the siege that resulted with the conviction of a high-ranking former colonel and a former general, later sentenced to 30 and 35 years in prison, respectively, for the [[forced disappearance]] of the detained after the siege.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10280727|title=Colombia ex-officer jailed after historic conviction|date=10 June 2010|publisher=BBC News|access-date=21 June 2018|archive-date=11 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411004957/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10280727|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13245859|date=29 April 2011|title=Colombian 1985 Supreme Court raid commander sentenced|work=BBC News|access-date=21 June 2018|archive-date=10 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410094006/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13245859|url-status=live}}</ref> Vallejo would subsequently testify in Galán's assassination.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.laht.com/article.asp?CategoryId=12393&ArticleId=337887|title=Galan Slaying a State Crime, Colombian Prosecutors Say|newspaper=Latin American Herald Tribune|access-date=17 November 2009|archive-date=9 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809184215/http://www.laht.com/article.asp?CategoryId=12393&ArticleId=337887}}</ref> In her book, ''Amando a Pablo, odiando a Escobar'' (''[[Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar]]''), she had accused several politicians, including Colombian presidents [[Alfonso López Michelsen]], [[Ernesto Samper]], and [[Álvaro Uribe]] of having links to drug cartels.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/world/americas/03colombia.html?ex=1349150400&en=5b0977a0af0df0c6&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink|title=Colombian Leader Disputes Claim of Tie to Cocaine Kingpin|last=Romero|first=Simon|date=3 October 2007|newspaper=The New York Times|page=1|access-date=18 February 2017|archive-date=9 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809183805/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/world/americas/03colombia.html?ex=1349150400&en=5b0977a0af0df0c6&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink|url-status=live}}</ref>