Colombia verdict may be delivered today

A Colombian judge may deliver the long-awaited verdict on three Irishmen accused of  training  Marxist rebels as early as today…

A Colombian judge may deliver the long-awaited verdict on three Irishmen accused of  training  Marxist rebels as early as today.

"Friday or Monday, nobody knows yet," said a spokesman at the Superior Judicial Council, which will announce the verdict and possible sentence.

The Irishmen - Jim Monaghan, Niall Connolly and Martin McCauley - could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

The trio were arrested in August 2001 trying to leave Colombia using false passports after visiting a rebel stronghold in southern Colombia.

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In court, the men admitted to meeting with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a 17,000-member guerrilla army known by its Spanish initials FARC. But they said they were only studying the rebels' peace talks with the government - which have since collapsed.

Defence lawyers for the Colombia Three argued in court the prosecution had not met the burden of proof needed for a conviction, and claimed the trial was politically motivated.