The President of the Republic, after affirming that he was the head of the Attorney General of the Nation, had to commit to respecting judicial autonomy.
The scandal that President Petro starred in, when he affirmed that he was the head of the Attorney General of the Nation and the angry response of Francisco Barbosa, caused constitutionalists, former magistrates, columnists and even former presidents of other nations to speak out about the error in the that the head of State was there, who misinterpreted article 115 of the Political Constitution of Colombia, given that the prosecutor belongs to the judicial branch and has autonomy and independence.
That bitter confrontation made the Supreme Court of Justice, which is the one that chooses the attorney general from a shortlist sent by the President of the Republic, back the prosecutor.
To clear up doubts and iron out rough edges, a meeting of the presidents of the high courts with the head of state was held on May 9 at the Palace of Justice, which lasted two hours, after which a statement was produced , what does it say:
After the meeting held today with the President of the Republic, Gustavo Petro Urrego, the presidents of the Supreme Court of Justice, Fernando Castillo Cadena; Council of State, Jaime Enrique Rodríguez Navas; Constitutional Court, Diana Fajardo Rivera, and Superior Council of the Judiciary, Aurelio Enrique Rodríguez Guzmán, we highlight this meeting space in which adherence to the principle of separation of powers was reaffirmed as an essential presupposition of the Rule of Law.
As representatives of the ordinary, contentious-administrative, and constitutional jurisdictions and of the governing and administrative body of the Judicial Branch, we agree with the President of the Republic on the need to maintain the firm commitment to channel differences through institutional mechanisms, within the unrestricted respect for judicial autonomy and independence.
We invite all institutional, political and social actors to accompany the common purpose of advancing within the strict framework of their powers, in harmonious collaboration between the different Branches of public power for the effective fulfillment of the essential purposes of the State, as well as to preserve a frank, direct and constructive dialogue.