Colombian President Alvaro Uribe says the country's domestic intelligence agency will no longer be in charge of intercepting communications, after it came under investigation for an illegal wiretapping scandal.
Mr. Uribe announced Thursday that all wiretaps will now be conducted by the national police, and will require judicial authorization.
The domestic intelligence agency, known as DAS (the Department of Administrative Security) is under federal investigation over charges that its agents illegally wiretapped politicians, journalists and judges.
The agency is accused of passing intercepted information to drug traffickers and other illegal armed groups.
The accusations were first made by the Colombian news magazine "Semana."
DAS has been accused of wrongful spying in the past. Last year, the head of the agency, Maria del Pilar Hurtado, resigned after it was revealed that agents were ordered to spy on opposition leaders.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters
