The Colombian President warned that he will not be “silent” on the allegations he has made
Colombian President Gustavo Petro
247 The President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, responded to the controversy that arose after he claimed that he was the chief Attorney General of the Republic, Francisco Barbosa.
In a statement released on Saturday (6), the head of state said he “accepted” the Supreme Court’s response and recognized the PGR’s independence. However, he warned that he would not be “silent” on the allegations he was making.
“I accept the appeal of the noble Supreme Court. I respect and will respect the autonomy and independence of the Office of the Attorney General of the Nation and all public agencies. Petro.
Last Friday (5), the Supreme Court accused Petro of creating institutional instability and misreading the constitution after claiming he was the head of the PGR.
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“Petro disregards the autonomy and independence of the judiciary, a fundamental clause of Colombian democracy,” the Supreme Court said in a statement.
The allegations relate to press releases about the killing of 200 people by the Clan del Golfo, the country’s largest drug cartel. Last Monday (1st), the website La Nueva Prensa reported that the public prosecutor’s office had closed the investigation. Petro then took to Twitter for explanations, stating that Barbosa was under his command.
“The Attorney General is doing serious damage to the prosecution itself by remaining silent in the face of these allegations, which, if true, would mean nothing less than the complicity of his assistant attorney Daniel Hernández, of the circle closest to both Néstor Humberto Martínez and Francisco Barbosa in the murder by omission of more than 200 people, including children and public officials,” the statement added.
For his part, Barbosa said he had taken relatives out of Colombia for fear they would be murdered, countering that “if the President were the nation’s Attorney General, he would basically be the head of all courts, judges and prosecutors in Colombia. … Petro changes his suit as a Democrat and begins to wear a dictator’s suit”.
Petro met with Portuguese Prime Minister, socialist António Costa this Saturday and will be received by Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on May 7 before concluding his twoday working visit to Lisbon. (With DW and AFP).