Colombian Government believes that prosecutor Barbosa lacks competence in the Petro case
Published at: 06/02/2024 06:30 PM
The Minister of Labor of Colombia, Gloria Inés Ramírez,
explained why President Gustavo Petro held the attorney general responsible for
a constitutional rupture in the country and stressed that there are forces that oppose the Government of change.
In an interview in the Global Connection segment, broadcast
by TELESUR, the minister considered that the institutional conflict is being managed
by the current prosecutor Francisco Barbosa, appointed to the previous Government, but he has
no competence to investigate the president.
In recent days, Petro considered that the order of the Attorney General's Office
against his foreign minister Andrés Leyva (suspended from office for three months for
declaring the tender of passports and other events void), is clear evidence that there is a plan to remove him from power.
Another investigation in this regard is about a contribution of 500
million Colombian pesos from the teachers' union to the Historical
Pact campaign in 2022.
Minister Ramírez said, in the interview with journalist
Janet Pérez Moya, that unfortunately on the part of the prosecution there has been
ignorance of the laws and the limits have been crossed and now in the country the
competence to investigate the president lies only with the Ethics of
Accusations Committee of the Congress of the Republic, she added.
“In no way is the prosecutor a competent authority
to investigate the president,” he emphasized.
The head of Labor considered that the
contribution given by a trade union organization with roots in Colombia, such as teachers, is being demonized.
“Why has this scandal occurred now when in the history of the country
there have been other contributions from other social entities to political parties,” he said.
“This demonization reflects that behind these accusations
there is an objective, which is to show that the contribution is illegal but the
trade union organization (FECODE) is considering making this type of donation,” he criticized.
He recalled that the prosecutor is about to end his term and now the Supreme
Court of Justice must decide on the list of three women, commanded by
President Petro.
TELESUR//Mazo News Team