The Colombian attorney general has announced he is investigating 22 generals for their alleged role in the killing of civilians as part of the country’s “false positives” scandal.
Hundreds of men were allegedly extra-judicially murdered by the Colombian armed forces, which would then pass of their bodies as those of Farc militants or other opposition groups.
Attorney general Eduardo Montealegre announced on Saturday that 22 generals would also be under investigation, with some 800 members of the security forces having been jailed so far. More than 5,000 members of the security forces were implicated in the scandal added Mr Montealegre.
The scandal first came to light in 2008 when it was discovered members of the armed forces were rounding up men from the slums of Bogota with the promise of jobs, only to murder them and display their bodies dressed in rebel uniforms.
"Those (extrajudicial killings) consisted of the killing of civilians by army members who reported the dead as fallen enemy fighters for the purpose of improving kill statistics, in turn obtaining financial benefits, leave, promotions and other benefits," said a United Nations report on the human rights situation in Colombia.
Farc has previously stated the government’s willingness and ability to prosecute for these crimes would be key to peace process.