A Colombian court heard testimony in March from a demobilized member of the right-wing Colombian paramilitary group AUC, the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia.
Alcides Manuel Mattos Taberes, who went by the nom de guerre “Samario, ” said that he was paid to kill mining union leaders and civilians along a railway that transported coal for Drummond.
That civil case was brought on behalf of victims by Washington, D.C. human rights lawyer Terry Collingsworth, who says that the testimony is being provided through “letters rogatory—a process of legal cooperation between the U.S. court and the Colombian judicial system.”
Late last year, Drummond filed suit against Collingsworth, claiming he has defamed corporate leaders in his court filings.
By Nedra Bloom
