Judge Orders Hacker Freed in Colombia Presidential Race

BOGOTA – A Colombian judge Monday ordered freed an alleged hacker accused of spying on President Juan Manuel Santos’ government and sensitive peace talks, his attorney said.

“The judge determined that there was insufficient evidence to keep him detained” Bernardo Alzate, attorney for Andres Sepulveda, said in an interview with Cablenoticias.

Sepulveda, a systems engineer who worked on the campaign of Santos’ presidential rival Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, was arrested May 6 for allegedly hacking Santos’ email and communications of the FARC rebel group related to peace talks in Havana.

Alzate said his client would be freed Monday and that the charge against him also was being dropped.

The government has been engaged in peace talks with the FARC since November 2012, and Santos has made the effort a central feature of his presidency and his bid for re-election in a May 25 runoff.

The talks are vehemently opposed, however, by Zuluaga and his most important backer, former president Alvaro Uribe.

Santos and Zuluaga are running neck and neck according to the pollsters.