Colombian prosecutor accuses President Petro of usurping the independence of the judiciary as a “dictator”

The attorney general of ColombiaFrancisco Barbosa, accused the president on Friday Gustavo Petro of disrespecting the independence of the judiciary by assuming the functions of autocrat and dictator, after the president assured that he was his boss.

This is the most recent confrontation between Petro and Barbosa, who has criticized the intention of the current government to seek the submission to justice of criminal gangs accused of drug trafficking and human rights violations and has described this initiative as a project of pardon and asset laundering.

The controversy ignited when Petro told journalists from Spain that “I am the head of state, therefore, the head of it.”

The Political Constitution of Colombia establishes that the president is head of state, head of government and supreme administrative authority, although it clarifies that there is independence and autonomy between the executive, legislative and judicial powers.

“I think the president is seriously mistaken because he puts him in trouble, makes it difficult to respect the autonomy and independence of the judicial branch in Colombia, of the rule of law”Barbosa said in statements to journalists.

“And he changes his suit, he changes his democrat’s suit and begins to put on a dictator’s suit, a suit as well as an autocrat”added the attorney general, who challenged Petro to dismiss him if it is true that he is his subordinate.

Colombia’s Attorney General is elected for a four-year term by the Supreme Court of Justice from a shortlist sent by the president. Barbosa was elected during the government of former President Iván Duque and his term ends in February 2024.

For its part, the Supreme Court of Justice declared itself concerned about Petro’s misinterpretation of the Constitution by ignoring judicial autonomy and independence.

“The Attorney General of the Nation, who holds the qualities of a high court magistrate, does not have a hierarchical superior,” said in a statement the president of the Supreme Court of Justice, magistrate Fernando Castillo. “Ignoring or misinterpreting the foundations of our rule of law creates uncertainty, fragmentation, and institutional instability.”

Source: Reuters