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Colombia fires army general accused of corruption
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BOGOTA, Colombia, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who has launched a shake-up in the security forces to crack down on corruption, on Monday sacked an army general accused of misusing state funds. The firing of Gen. Jorge Pineda Carvajal, who commanded an elite anti-guerrilla brigade in cocaine-rich southern Putumayo region, comes on the heels of a change of guard last week that included the commander of the armed forces, the defense minister and the police commander. A statement from the Presidential Palace blamed the firing of Pineda Carvajal on the "misuse of secret state funds in 2001" -- a time when Pineda Carvajal was the head of the army intelligence. The statement did not provide more detail. Colombia's security forces have received more than $2 billion in U.S. military aid in recent years to combat leftist rebels and the drug trade fueling a four-decade war. But recent corruption scandals, particularly in the police force, have embarrassed the hard-line Uribe, a Washington favorite and anti-corruption crusader. Last week, Uribe fired a police general after reports surfaced of lavish spending by a group of police officers in the city of Medellin. Marta Lucia Ramirez, who was Colombia's first-ever female defense minister, quit her post Nov. 9 amid pressure from top generals irritated at her management style and efforts to control military contracts, an area plagued with corruption. Uribe, who took office on pledges to defeat rebels on the battlefield, is scheduled to appoint this week the new commander of the military after Gen. Jorge Enrique Mora resigned on Wednesday, saying he had decided to retire. Following last month's defeat of a cost-cutting referendum, Uribe has also tried to breath new life into his 15-month administration, appointing business leaders and longtime friends to top posts at the interior and defense ministries. The changes of cabinet ministers are a defeat for the popular Uribe, who had said he wanted to keep his ministers for his entire four-year term to promote stability.
