Ex-Farc sentenced to pay $ 36 million for abduction of Ingrid Betancourt

The Son of Franco-Colombian has obtained damage and interest in repair of the abduction, in 2002, and the sequestration for six years of his mother, according to a decision of the American justice.

Le Monde with AFP

American justice sentenced the former Colombian rebellion of FARC to pay $ 36 million (approximately € 31.5 million) for compensation for the abduction of Franco-Columbian Ingrid Betancourt between 2002 and 2008, according to The decision of a federal court of Pennsylvania on January 4th, made public Thursday, January 14 at night.

Lawrence delloye – also called Lorenzo, son of M me Betancourt, born in 1988 of his union with French Fabrice Delloye – “is entitled to compensation of $ 12 million before it is tripled with the costs and costs of lawyers “. In a separate statement, the US councils of Mr. Delloye, Scarrinci Hollenbeck, explained that the total amount of damages decided by the federal judge of Pennsylvania Matthew Brann was “more than $ 36 million”. .

The son of Ingrid Betancourt, who has American nationality, had been able to file a complaint in the United States, to the civilian in June 2018, against fourteen former responsible for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), under a Federal Anti-Terrorism Act (Antiterrorism Act, ATA), criticizing the rebellion the “violation” of this extraterritorial legislation. In addition, the removal of his mother provoked at Mr. Delloye – young teenager in 2002 – a “enormous emotional anxiety” for years, took up the court.

“Emotional anxieties”

M me Betancourt, 60 years old today, had been kidnapped on February 23, 2002 during the Colombian presidential election campaign by the FARC, before being rescued by the army six years later July 2, 2008.

Ingrid Betancourt then settled in France with his two children, Melanie and Lorenzo, but “he did not have been easy for [Lorenzo] delloye to reconnect with his mother. He continues to suffer from emotional anxiety, “said US judge in his decision. The former Senator of Colombia had claimed for years compensation covering the psychological damage driven by his long captivity.

A historic peace agreement in 2016 between Colombia and FARC transformed the guerrillas into a legal political party and significantly reduces violence, even though many armed groups continue to crack in the country, including the dissidents of the FARC resident. arms. And last November, the US State Department removed the FARC from its blacklist of foreign terrorist organizations, but without changing position on legal proceedings against former officials of the former Colombian guerrillas.

/Media reports.