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FARC files
The FARC files are computer files which were retrieved from a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) camp in Ecuador according to the Colombian government, during a Colombian raid into Ecuador which sparked the 2008 Andean diplomatic crisis. In May 2011 the Supreme Court of Colombia ruled the FARC files inadmissible as evidence due to their acquisition from abroad by the military (rather than by the Judicial Police), and in addition stated that the validity of the content could not be verified.
The cross-border raid on the camp took place in the early hours of 1 March 2008. On the afternoon of 2 March 2008, in a short press release, General Óscar Naranjo, director of the Colombian National Police, as spokesperson of the Colombian government, announced that during the military operation on the Colombia-Ecuador border, several documents and three laptops had been retrieved along with the bodies of Raúl Reyes and one of his lieutenants. Copies of 13 documents were provided by General Naranjo to reporters on March 4. Eight electronic data sources (three laptops, two external hard drives, and three USB memory sticks) were later handed to Interpol on 10 March. During Interpol's press conference on 15 May, the Secretary General said: "The eight seized computer exhibits contained more than 600 gigabytes of data, including 37,872 written documents, 452 spreadsheets, 210,888 images, 22,481 web pages, 7,989 email addresses, 10,537 multimedia files (sound and video) and 983 encrypted files. In non-technical terms, this volume of data would correspond to 39.5 million filled pages in Microsoft Word and, if all of the seized data were in Word format, it would take more than 1,000 years to read at a rate of 100 pages per day."
The Colombian Administrative Department of Security (DAS) reported that it had asked for Interpol's technical support in order to decipher the seized FARC computers. According to the DAS, Interpol accepted the request and sent several experts to Colombia.
The final report was presented on May 15. Interpol's report said that it found no evidence that the Colombian Government had manipulated the laptops, although the initial Colombian security force access to the data sources (between 1 and 3 March) did not conform to international standards. The laptops had been booted and hard drives or USB sticks were viewed. President Hugo Chávez dismissed Interpol's findings as "A show of clowns, ridiculous" given by a "gringo, aggressive, corrupt and vagabond policeman," about which "spending time on is not worthwhile." and threatened to revise (again) both its economic and diplomatic relations with Colombia.
On June 15, 2008 Interpol issued a new press release in response to a statement by Ecuador's Foreign Ministry that Interpol considered to be incorrect. The press release stated that "[Ecuador] inaccurately suggests that Interpol had not established whether the eight seized exhibits forensically examined by Interpol's computer forensic experts had been recovered by Colombian authorities on 1 March 2008 from a FARC camp or belonged to Raul Reyes. In fact, based on a review of all the information and material provided by Colombia, including a classified oral briefing, Interpol was able to satisfy itself, and clearly stated in its report, that the seized computer exhibits it was requested to forensically examine were taken from the FARC terrorist camp on 1 March 2008 and belonged to Raul Reyes." Interpol also added: "Validating that the contents of the computer exhibits were not manipulated after their seizure by Colombian authorities is not in any way, shape or form the same as saying that the contents of the user files are true and accurate. Interpol therefore objects to those who suggest that Interpol's report validates the source and accuracy of any particular document or user file contained therein."
According to an unnamed independent German computer expert consulted by Heise Online, there would have been a possibility of introducing potentially manipulated disk images.
In May 2011 the Supreme Court of Colombia dismissed a case against Congressman Wilson Borja. The case rested on material from the FARC files. The Court ruled the material inadmissible as it had not been properly acquired by the Judicial Police, with the Prosecutor General's Office clarifying that "no other power in the country has the authority to bring evidence from abroad, even less when ignoring foreign authorities". The court also said that the validity of the content could not be verified, as the alleged emails had been copied into Microsoft Word documents and provided no indication of the sender or receiver. The ruling would affect a number of open cases where defendants were accused of FARC collaboration based on FARC files evidence.
The documents contained a letter from Reyes to the high command of FARC explaining that he had recently held meetings with the Security Minister of Ecuador, Gustavo Larrea, representing President Correa, who had indicated a desire to establish "formal relations with the FARC". In the letter, Reyes conveys the following information to the high command: the intention of the Ecuadorian government to replace police forces that do not accept the presence of the guerrilla organization in the area; the request for the release of a hostage, "perhaps the son of professor Moncayo or someone else who may increase political action"; and the decision of Ecuador to annul next year's license for the use of the Manta Air Base by the United States.
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FARC files
The FARC files are computer files which were retrieved from a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) camp in Ecuador according to the Colombian government, during a Colombian raid into Ecuador which sparked the 2008 Andean diplomatic crisis. In May 2011 the Supreme Court of Colombia ruled the FARC files inadmissible as evidence due to their acquisition from abroad by the military (rather than by the Judicial Police), and in addition stated that the validity of the content could not be verified.
The cross-border raid on the camp took place in the early hours of 1 March 2008. On the afternoon of 2 March 2008, in a short press release, General Óscar Naranjo, director of the Colombian National Police, as spokesperson of the Colombian government, announced that during the military operation on the Colombia-Ecuador border, several documents and three laptops had been retrieved along with the bodies of Raúl Reyes and one of his lieutenants. Copies of 13 documents were provided by General Naranjo to reporters on March 4. Eight electronic data sources (three laptops, two external hard drives, and three USB memory sticks) were later handed to Interpol on 10 March. During Interpol's press conference on 15 May, the Secretary General said: "The eight seized computer exhibits contained more than 600 gigabytes of data, including 37,872 written documents, 452 spreadsheets, 210,888 images, 22,481 web pages, 7,989 email addresses, 10,537 multimedia files (sound and video) and 983 encrypted files. In non-technical terms, this volume of data would correspond to 39.5 million filled pages in Microsoft Word and, if all of the seized data were in Word format, it would take more than 1,000 years to read at a rate of 100 pages per day."
The Colombian Administrative Department of Security (DAS) reported that it had asked for Interpol's technical support in order to decipher the seized FARC computers. According to the DAS, Interpol accepted the request and sent several experts to Colombia.
The final report was presented on May 15. Interpol's report said that it found no evidence that the Colombian Government had manipulated the laptops, although the initial Colombian security force access to the data sources (between 1 and 3 March) did not conform to international standards. The laptops had been booted and hard drives or USB sticks were viewed. President Hugo Chávez dismissed Interpol's findings as "A show of clowns, ridiculous" given by a "gringo, aggressive, corrupt and vagabond policeman," about which "spending time on is not worthwhile." and threatened to revise (again) both its economic and diplomatic relations with Colombia.
On June 15, 2008 Interpol issued a new press release in response to a statement by Ecuador's Foreign Ministry that Interpol considered to be incorrect. The press release stated that "[Ecuador] inaccurately suggests that Interpol had not established whether the eight seized exhibits forensically examined by Interpol's computer forensic experts had been recovered by Colombian authorities on 1 March 2008 from a FARC camp or belonged to Raul Reyes. In fact, based on a review of all the information and material provided by Colombia, including a classified oral briefing, Interpol was able to satisfy itself, and clearly stated in its report, that the seized computer exhibits it was requested to forensically examine were taken from the FARC terrorist camp on 1 March 2008 and belonged to Raul Reyes." Interpol also added: "Validating that the contents of the computer exhibits were not manipulated after their seizure by Colombian authorities is not in any way, shape or form the same as saying that the contents of the user files are true and accurate. Interpol therefore objects to those who suggest that Interpol's report validates the source and accuracy of any particular document or user file contained therein."
According to an unnamed independent German computer expert consulted by Heise Online, there would have been a possibility of introducing potentially manipulated disk images.
In May 2011 the Supreme Court of Colombia dismissed a case against Congressman Wilson Borja. The case rested on material from the FARC files. The Court ruled the material inadmissible as it had not been properly acquired by the Judicial Police, with the Prosecutor General's Office clarifying that "no other power in the country has the authority to bring evidence from abroad, even less when ignoring foreign authorities". The court also said that the validity of the content could not be verified, as the alleged emails had been copied into Microsoft Word documents and provided no indication of the sender or receiver. The ruling would affect a number of open cases where defendants were accused of FARC collaboration based on FARC files evidence.
The documents contained a letter from Reyes to the high command of FARC explaining that he had recently held meetings with the Security Minister of Ecuador, Gustavo Larrea, representing President Correa, who had indicated a desire to establish "formal relations with the FARC". In the letter, Reyes conveys the following information to the high command: the intention of the Ecuadorian government to replace police forces that do not accept the presence of the guerrilla organization in the area; the request for the release of a hostage, "perhaps the son of professor Moncayo or someone else who may increase political action"; and the decision of Ecuador to annul next year's license for the use of the Manta Air Base by the United States.