-75- 95(138) On June 13, 1992, the Delegate Attorney for Human Rights informed the Director General of Multilateral Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that “the witnesses who had declared that they had direct knowledge of the links between members of the National Army and the paramilitary groups led by Fidel Castaño (allegedly perpetrators of the facts), no longer live in the jurisdiction of Pueblo Bello and their actual places of residence are not known.”164 95(139) On July 3, 1992, Lieutenant Fabio Enrique Rincón Pulido made a statement before the Office of the Delegate Attorney for the defense of human rights regarding the events in Pueblo Bello in which he stated, inter alia, that he had attended the next of kin who denounced the disappearance of the men from Pueblo Bello; that it was not true that he had told them “they had exchanged people for cattle,” and that, on the day after the denunciation, he took his platoon and another one to Pueblo Bello to “provide security to the inhabitants because they were afraid there might be another raid.”165 95(140) On August 6, 1992, ASFADDES requested the Office of the Delegate Attorney for the defense of human rights to order the exhumation of the corpses that were still in a common grave on the “Las Tangas” ranch.166 95(141) On September 20, 1996, the Office of the Delegate Attorney for the defense of human rights considered that: Although there has already been a decision on merits with regard to the facts examined during the [...] preliminary investigation, which absolved those allegedly involved [owing to their] omissions, it was considered at that time that there was evidence that warranted ordering the opening of a new preliminary investigation, this time for their acts [...] Although, from the assessment of the evidence available to this new preliminary investigation, it appears that, for the moment, there are insufficient merits to proceed [...], and […] contrario sensu that it could be decided that the case file of the proceedings should be filed; however, in order to clarify the respective decision and given the need to gather more evidence that will contribute to this decision, it is in order to expand the duration of the preliminary investigation for up to six months during which time [various] measures will be taken.167 95(142) On February 12, 1998, the Office of the Delegate Attorney for the defense of human rights ordered a series of measures to be taken to clarify the events of January 14, 1990. They included: That an official communication be sent to the Prosecutor General’s Office and to the Forensic Medicine Institute so that, together with the Delegate Attorney for Human Rights, they would proceed to locate [the common graves situated in the Las Tangas ranch and on the banks of the Sinú River and] carry out the corresponding exhumation 164 Cf. note of June 13, 1992, from the Delegate Attorney for Human Rights to Lieutenant Fabio Enrique Rincón Pulido (file of useful evidence submitted by the State, folios 4735 and 4736). 165 Cf. statement made on July 3, 1992, before the Delegate Attorney for the defense of human rights (file of useful evidence submitted by the State, folios 4713 and 4720). 166 Cf. note of August 6, 1992, from ASFADDES to the Delegate Attorney for the defense of human rights (file of useful evidence submitted by the State, folios 4704 and 4705). 167 Cf. decision of September 20, 1996, issued by the Office of the Delegate Attorney for the defense of human rights (file of useful evidence submitted by the State, folios 6383 and 6384).