221. According to information provided by the State, by January 2015 the proceedings were at the trial stage before the Sixth Criminal Court of the Special Circuit.429 The Commission has no additional information about the current stage of the proceedings. 2.5. The guilty pleas entered by German Villalba Chávez and Fabio Duarte Traslaviña 222. In relation to the cases of Germán Villalba Chávez, former head of the Human Sources Area, and Fabio Duarte Traslaviña, former chief of operations of the DAS, in decisions dated December 14, 2010 and January 5, 2011, the prosecution unit formulated charges to which they pleaded guilty.430 223. The Commission notes that in the preliminary inquiry Mr. Villalba Chávez acknowledged the existence of another spy ring in Europe, whose function was to establish relations between the guerrilla groups and human rights organizations, and that the mission was entrusted by the DAS director, Jorge Noguera.431 224. On August 9, 2011, the Sixth Criminal Court of the Bogotá Special Circuit convicted both officials of the crimes of aggravated conspiracy to commit crime, illicit violation of communications on concurrent and consecutive counts, illicit use of transmission/receiving equipment, and abuse of authority by reason of an arbitrary and unjust act on concurrent and consecutive counts.432 According to the State, they were sentenced to 73 months in prison.433 That decision was upheld at second instance by the Criminal Chamber of the Superior Court of Bogotá in a judgment of September 27, 2012.434 2.6. Investigation of Danny Usma et al. (Case 13153) 225. Prosecution Unit 11 delegated to the Supreme Court of Justice also opened a preliminary investigation against 19 former DAS officials for the crimes of conspiracy to commit crime in connection with illicit violation of communications, illicit use of transmission/receiving equipment, and abuse of authority.435 226. In August 2016, the prosecution unit presented an indictment against Ronald Harvey Rivera Rodríguez, José Alexis Mahecha Acosta, William Gabriel Romero Sánchez, Blanca Cecilia Rubio Rodríguez, Astrid Fernanda Cantor Varela, Germán Albeiro Ospina Arango, Sergio Pérez Barrera, William Alberto Merchan López, Jesús Hernando Caldas Leyva, Carlos Alberto Orozco Garcés, Jimmy Galvis, and Juan Carlos Sastoque Rodríguez436. 227. In the same decision, the prosecution unit decided to abstain from investigating the following former DAS officials: Carlos Alberto Herrera Romero, Oscar Barrero López, Carlos Fabián Sandoval Sabogal, Ibet Senobia Gutiérrez Guardo, Neider de Jesús Ricardo Hoyos, Juan Carlos Gutiérrez Galván, andy Juan Carlos Benavides Suárez, for conspiracy to commit crime in connection with the same acts.437 2.7. Investigation of former directors of the DAS 228. On May 28, 2009, the prosecution unit ordered an investigation of the former directors of the DAS, Jorge Aurelio Noguera Cotes, María del Pilar Hurtado, Joaquín Polo Montalvo, and Andrés Mauricio Peñate Giraldo State’s brief containing observations on merits, January 23, 2015. Petitioners’ brief containing observations on merits, December 20, 2013. 431 Petitioners’ brief containing observations on merits, December 20, 2013. The brief makes reference to “Germán Villalba admits spying on NGOs in Europe,” Noticia UNO, January 22, 2011. Available at: http://noticiasunolaredindependiente.com/2011/01/22/noticias/germn-villalba-reconoce-espionaje-del-das-a-ongs-en-europa/ 432 State’s brief containing observations on merits, January 23, 2015. 433 State’s brief containing observations on merits, January 23, 2015. 434 State’s brief containing observations on merits, January 23, 2015. 435 Petitioners’ brief containing observations on merits, December 20, 2013. 436 El Tiempo, “Un nuevo capítulo por chuzadas ilegales del DAS en caso G3,” August 31, 2016. Available at: http://www.eltiempo.com/politica/justicia/resolucion-de-acusacion-por-chuzadas-ilegales-del-das-a-12-exfuncionarios/16688092. 437 El Tiempo, “Un nuevo capítulo por chuzadas ilegales del DAS en caso G3,” August 31, 2016. Available at: http://www.eltiempo.com/politica/justicia/resolucion-de-acusacion-por-chuzadas-ilegales-del-das-a-12-exfuncionarios/16688092. 429 430 44