TTP: “What did you think of Jorge 40 being kicked out of the Peace and Justice Commission for not cooperating?”
David Zapp – “I think it was the best example of chutzpah.”
TTP: “What’s chutzpah?”
David Zapp – “It’s the Hebrew word for “nerve” like when a man is accused of murdering his parents and then falls on the mercy of the court claiming he is an orphan! Colombia put Rodrigo Tovar Pupo in a situation (extradition) where he could not speak freely without prejudicing his U.S. case only to kick him out of the “Justice and Peace” process for not speaking freely. That’s chutzpah.”
TTP: “But Mancuso spoke freely.”
David Zapp – “And look what happened to him. They not only punished him for narco-trafficking but enhanced his punishment for his paramilitary activities and said so in open court, publically distinguishing him from a co-defendant (El Tuso) claiming that his co-defendant was only a drug dealer. So we weren’t going down that road in Jorge 40’s case. In a U.S. court anything you say in court or out of court in connection with the case or not, can be used against a defendant. The judge in Jorge 40’s case used to admonish him regularly every time he wanted to talk in open court that he should not do so without consulting his lawyer because of the risk he was taking.
“Let’s be clear. Rodrigo Tovar Pupo is not shying away from helping the Peace and Justice Commission. He has always said he would cooperate as soon as he was through with his U.S. case. I even e-mailed prosecutors in Colombia trying to find a way to accommodate their interests and ours. I was ignored. And now Colombia has the “chutzpah” to kick him out of “Justice and Peace”! Fairness and logic dictates that he should be reinstated.