On February 9, President Gustavo Petro, within the framework of his legal and constitutional powers, issued Resolution 0014 in which he requested the Attorney General of the Nation Francisco Barbosa Delgado, the suspension of arrest warrants against 20 people who they would be recognized as representatives of the self-styled Central General Staff of the Farc-EP, for rapprochement with the national government.
On February 16, the Attorney General of the Nation sent President Petro a communication in which he requested to clarify whether 11 of these people were part of an armed group organized outside the law that decided not to sign the Peace Agreement of Havana, and therefore, if they were members of any criminal organization with which a new Peace Agreement was being advanced.
Also read: President Petro announces peace dialogue table with the Central General Staff of the Farc
On March 8, the President sent a response to the Attorney General in which he stated his constitutional and legal reasons for requesting the suspension of those arrest warrants and indicated in the communication that the first resolution was replaced by resolution 039 of 2023, which excluded the initial request to suspend the arrest warrant against Javier Alonso Veloza García, alias Jhon Mechas.
The Attorney General of the Nation Francisco Barbosa, after weighing the arguments presented by President Petro, and in accordance with his legal and constitutional powers, decided to suspend the arrest warrants issued or to be issued against 19.
They are:
- Edgar de Jesus Orrego Arango, alias Leo
- Farby Edison Parra Parra, alias Richard
- Robinson de Jesús González, alias Caicedo
- Willinton Henao Gutierrez, alias Olmedo
- Carlos Eduardo Garcia Tellez, aka Andrei
- Omar Pardo Galeano, aka Antonio Medina
- Ciro Alfonso Romero Ospina, aka Willy Romero
- Ivan Jacob Idribo Arredondo, aka Marlon
- Diverney Valencia, aka Herson
- Deison Rodrigo Ortiz Camallo, alias Esteban González
- Wilmar Pasu Rivera, alias David Arenas
- Luis Carlos Pinilla Cortez, aka Oscar Barreto
- Anderson Andrei Vargas, alias Kevin
- Oscar Eduardo Sandoval Noscué
- Luis Hernan Ochoa
- Fabio Giraldo Giraldo,
- Jaime Munoz Dorado
- Leydy Tatiana Rojas
- Eliecer Palomeque Córdoba.
It is important to note that none of the people requested in resolution 039 of 2023, in which alias Jhon Mechas was already excluded, have arrest warrants for extradition purposes.
This decision is different from the request made by the president on January 11 of this year, which sought to benefit members of the Clan del Golfo and the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, AGC; drug traffickers and paramilitaries, where he continues to consider the Prosecutor’s Office that there is no legal and constitutional basis to be able to request the lifting of those arrest warrants.
Also read: President Petro requested to lift the arrest warrant against Antonio Media and 18 other dissidents
In this specific case, for the Prosecutor’s Office the grounds exist because President Petro gave a political character to the dissidents who did not sign the Havana Peace Agreement and to the dissidents who signed the Havana Peace Agreement and failed to comply with it, in that sense is a political decision of the President of the Republic to advance in the dialogues.
It is important to note that the criminal and asset forfeiture processes against these people are still in force and this decision does not affect their outcome.
Source: Attorney General’s Office