Around 4 in the afternoon last Sunday, September 6, in the Carora neighborhood, in the central area of Cúcuta (Norte de Santander), the car in which businessman Luis Francisco Rodríguez was traveling was attacked by hitmen.
Although he managed to escape unharmed, one of the victim’s sons –Ariel Rodríguez, representative to the Chamber for the Liberal party- stated on social media that this is not an isolated incident. He is now asking the Prosecutor’s Office to advance investigations into a grenade attack on his residence last July 29.
The victim’s account
Congressman Ariel Rodríguez is the same person who recently denied -in the pages of EL TIEMPO- any connection with the crime of journalist Cristian Herrera, murdered last June 6 in Cúcuta.
Herrera was investigating links between local politicians and the drug trafficker alias El Faraón, to whom a large part of the political, financial, and criminal power on the border with Venezuela is attributed, as well as several violent murders in Norte de Santander.
The Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO has now contacted Luis Francisco Rodríguez Blanco, the congressman’s father, to ask him about the armed attack against the vehicle he was traveling in and whether the episode might be related to allegations of supposed links between his son and alias El Faraón.
“Fortunately, I am fine, the authorities are attentive and have already contacted me. They are aware of the facts and I am waiting for things to be clarified”, explained Rodríguez Blanco.
He added: “I was born in that neighborhood, in Carora. Almost all my family is there, we are neighbors in the neighborhood, everyone knows us. Several shots were fired and one pierced the passenger window of the car. I got scared and immediately left the place and went inside the house.”
Rodríguez Blanco also stated that he did not see the hitman nor where the shots came from.
‘I don’t want to talk about that’
The congressman’s father also told the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO that he had not received threats.
When this newspaper asked if the shooting attack against him might be related to the explosive attack on his son’s residence, he said the authorities will have to determine the matter.
And when asked about the links between politicians and ‘El Faraón’ that Herrera was investigating, he said: “I don’t want to talk about that. The questions the authorities asked me I already answered yesterday.”
For his part, Congressman Ariel Rodríguez asked through his social media for the Prosecutor’s Office to advance investigations into a grenade attack on his house.
‘I have no involvement in criminal acts’
Since last June, the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO had already contacted Congressman Ariel Rodríguez to ask him about allegations attributing him a supposed closeness to ‘El Faraón.’
From China, where he was on an official visit, Rodríguez told this newspaper that it is false that he is being investigated for homicide and extortion.
According to the congressman, he also requested corrections from other media that link him to criminal organizations and that, according to him, tendentiously implied his involvement in the crime of Cristian Herrera.
He pointed out that the murdered journalist did not even have complaints or lawsuits against him: “I have never had any kind of involvement in criminal acts.”
(Consult all the articles from the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO here)
Congressman Ariel Rodríguez has already requested, through social media, protection from the UNP for his family: “I am an innocent man, I have no problems with anyone. Why do they blame me for things and, in the process, profile my family, profile my wife?”
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
u.investigativa@eltiempo.com
@UinvestigativaET
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