30 1996, the Prosecutor General’s Office decided to reassign the investigation of the facts to the National Human Rights Unit. On June 17, 1999, “when the body of evidence collected had been assessed, the pretrial proceedings were initiated and orders were give to formally investigate” the Sub-Lieutenant of the National Army and Commander of the Police of Ituango, José Vicente Castro; the Lieutenant of the National Army and Commander of the Girardo Battalion based in Ituango, Jorge Alexander Sánchez Castro; and the civilians, Jaime Angulo Osorio, Francisco Angulo Osorio, Hernando de Jesús Álvarez Gómez, Manuel Remigio Fonnegra Piedrahita and Carlos Castaño Gil, the latter “a member of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia.” As a result of the inquiries of a judicial commission of the National Human Rights Unit and of the evidence collected by the commission in the place where the facts had occurred, “the Prosecutor General’s Office found that there were grounds for investigating as alleged perpetrators of the facts”: Carlos Antonio Carvajal Jaramillo, Jairo Castañeda, Gilberto Tamayo Rengifo, Orlando de Jesús Mazo Mazo and Isaías Montes Hernández, alias “Junior,” the latter “head of the self-defense forces in northwestern Antioquia.” “The results of the judicial activities of the Prosecutor General’s Office” during the period from December 23, 2002, to May 5, 2003, “allowed preventive measures consisting in pre-trial detention without parole to be imposed on” the following personas: Carlos Antonio Carvajal Jaramillo, for the crimes of extortion and conspiracy to commit a crime, Gilberto Tamayo Rengifo, for the crimes of conspiracy to commit a crime, terrorism and extortion, Hernando de Jesús Álvarez Gómez, for the crimes of conspiracy to commit a crime, extortion and terrorism, Jairo Castañeda, for the crime of conspiracy to commit a crime, Orlando Mazo Mazo for the crimes of conspiracy to commit a crime, extortion and terrorism, and Isaías Montes Hernández, for the crimes of conspiracy to commit a crime, extortion and terrorism. On November 14, 2003, José Vicente Castro was sentenced to 31 years’ imprisonment, a decision that was revoked by the Antioquia Superior Court on July 12, 2004. On July 8, 2005, the Antioquia First Specialized Court sentenced Jorge Alexander Sánchez Castro to 31 years’ imprisonment; Orlando De Jesus Mazo Mazo to 12 years’ imprisonment; Gilberto Antonio Tamayo Rengifo to 12 years’ imprisonment, and Carlos Antonio Carvajal Jaramillo to 7 years’ imprisonment, all of them for the crimes of conspiracy to commit a crime and aggravated murder. In the case of José Vicente Castro, the decision absolving him is being reviewed by the Supreme Court of Justice. In the case of Hernando de Jesús Álvarez, it was ordered that the proceedings should be discontinued owing to the death of the accused. Regarding the members of the paramilitary group, Carlos Castaño and Isaías Montes Hernández, the investigation is still underway and “will soon be evaluated.” In relation to the events of El Aro, which took place from October 22 to 26, 1997, the Prosecutor General’s Office formally took over the investigation through the Delegate Prosecutor’s Office for the Ituango circuit and the Yarumal Delegate Prosecutor’s Office. On November 20, 1997, the investigations were reassigned to the Second Unit of the Medellín Regional Prosecutor’s Office. On March 19, 1999, “the Prosecutor General’s Office ordered that [Carlos Castaño Gil and Francisco Enrique Villalba] should be investigated in the inquiry.” An unsworn