On October 16, 2021, Colonel del Gaula, Gustavo Adolfo Camargo, told EL COLOMBIANO the details of a rescue that had Colombia in suspense for more than 4 years: the nun Gloria Narváez returned to freedom following a kidnapping that lasted four years and ended on October 9 last year.
There were six trips to Mali and countless days and meetings with those who would be the informants to find the whereregardings of the nun kidnapped in February 2017 by the Macina Liberation Front, with the participation of Bambará de Sikasso Jihadists, allies of Al Qaeda. , and which was located in an area between the towns of Timbuktu and Gao, in Mali.
The story of the senior officer was recreated with images of how five policemen infiltrated and had to disguise themselves as volunteers, teachers and onegés’ assistants. “After arriving in Bamako, we realized that the solution to this case was liberation and not a ransom,” Colonel Camargo recalled at the time, due to the difficult conditions they encountered and were not contemplated in his recovery plan. release.
Four years following that event, Sister Gloria Cecilia is once once more in the news due to the issue of her release, exactly because of the way in which a negotiation took place in which, apparently, Pope Francis was involved.
A serious accusation
The version given by Cardinal Angelo Becciu, accused by the Vatican of alleged embezzlement of resources, indicates that the highest official of the Catholic Church would have authorized the disbursement of 1,000,000 euros for the release of the religious of Colombian origin.
“He paid part of that million for the creation of a network of contacts and another part for the effective release of the nun,” Becciu said.
His testimony was delivered in one of the hearings being held once morest the prelate, who was once one of the closest advisers to Pope Francis.
“He approved. I must say that each phase of that operation was approved by the Holy Father,” Becciu said at the trial.
According to the cardinal, as part of the release operation that was kept secret even from Vatican security members, an account was created in which the funds were deposited, which ended up being paid to accounts indicated by Marogna. In the words of Becciu, following a first disbursement, the company designated for the ransom had contact with the kidnappers, but never left evidence of whether or not the ransom was paid.
In the trial, the high prelate concentrated his testimony in affirming that each step of that operation was authorized by Pope Francis, and that following bringing it to a successful conclusion, Jorge Bergoglio himself demanded Becciu’s deathly silence and take the secret with him. Tomb.
But Beccio decided to tell everything regarding the Inkerman operation, the same one that was under the baton of the British intelligence agency The Inkerman Group, following the Pope lifted the confidentiality requirement to which he was subjected following the release of Narváez in October 2021.
The cardinal testified in the same case that Cecilia Marogna – also accused of fraud – was ahead of her, and who would have served as a link between the Vatican and the intelligence agency that infiltrated and sought to free the nun.
At the hearing, Marogna said she was employed by the cardinal to carry out initial activities to provide consolidated information on the nun’s whereregardings, and for this she received 575,000 euros (regarding $600,000) from the Secretary of State in a Slovenian account.
His brother spoke
With the data delivered from Rome, this newspaper sought the version of Colonel Gustavo Adolfo Camargo, who was in charge of the military operation for four years to achieve the release of the Colombian nun, but no response was obtained.
EL COLOMBIANO spoke with the sister’s brother, Édgar Narváez, and he specified that during the time they held conversations with Colombian authorities, they never informed him of the payment of a ransom for his sister.
“They never told us that it had been paid. The only thing they told us is that there were five countries following her release, including Italy, France and Brazil,” said the nun’s brother.
Edgar told this newspaper that his sister is still in Colombia and for now she is traveling the country telling her experience and talking regarding reconciliation.
Pope Francis has his attention focused on his state of health, which has been affected these days. Yesterday he underwent surgery on his right knee with several infiltrations, a treatment that will keep him out of public life for 10 days according to the medical report delivered by the Vatican.
