The election of a new Attorney General in Colombia has been a topic of debate for several weeks. In this context, Bogotá councilor Daniel Briceño, through his X account, reacted to the statement made by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
The controversies in the national territory increased in the last votes, since none of the candidates (Ángela María Buitrago Ruiz, Amelia Pérez Parra and Amparo Cerón Ojeda) could obtain the minimum number of votes required to be appointed as the new Attorney General.
Daniel Briceño strongly criticized the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) through his account on the social network Fiscal. Briceño accused the IACHR of lying by stating that the lack of a quorum in the Supreme Court has prevented the election, describing said intervention as a shameful interference built on falsehoods.
“The IACHR’s statement to pressure the Supreme Court of Justice to elect a Prosecutor is shameful. The IACHR lies saying that there has not been a quorum in the CSJ and that is why it has not been able to elect a Prosecutor. A shameful and lying interference,” said Daniel Briceño in response to the IACHR.
In its statement, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) said it is closely monitoring the process of appointing the next Attorney General in Colombia, emphasizing the importance of a timely appointment. According to the IACHR, the prolonged absence of an incumbent in this essential position could result in a weakening of the country’s judicial system, underscoring the critical need to ensure an efficient and transparent transition in the prosecutor’s office to maintain the integrity and effectiveness of Colombian justice.
Furthermore, in the aforementioned statement they added that: “According to the official schedule of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ), the election of the head of the Prosecutor’s Office was scheduled to conclude on December 7, 2023. This after the timely sending by the Presidency of the Republic from a shortlist made up of people with recognized professional suitability for the position, on August 2. However, due to the lack of quorum and, subsequently, the lack of political agreement among the judges, the institution will be under an interim mandate as of February 12, 2024, the date on which the period of the previous Prosecutor ended. General”.
In addition to the capital councilor Daniel Briceño, Senator María Fernanda Cabal, also belonging to the Democratic Center, made a comment regarding the situation. The legislator opposed to the national government questioned the reasons why the IACHR, UN and the OAS had not made statements in the previous attorney general elections in Colombia or requested that there be speed in the process.
And the fact is that, for the congresswoman belonging to the First Commission of the Senate, the aforementioned pronouncements by foreign organizations correspond to “international pressure” made for the Supreme Court of Justice, which in the legislator’s words is promoted by the Government headed by Gustavo Petro, the Colombian head of state. And she also commented that in her opinion this affects the independence and sovereignty of the country.
“Why did the IACHR, UN and OAS, previously in other elections for the Attorney General, not speak out regarding the process of electing the head of the investigative entity? This international pressure on the Supreme Court of Justice, promoted by the Petro government, affects the independence and sovereignty of the country,” said Senator María Fernanda Cabal through her X account. With Infobae