The head of the portfolio, Iván Velásquez, said that they had to guarantee the life of the former paramilitary chief of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, when he returns to the country after serving a sentence in the United States for crimes related to drug trafficking.
Although there are still a few weeks left for Mancuso to be back in Colombian territory, the Minister of Justice, Nestor Osuna, spoke out on the matter, saying that after months of waiting it was possible to issue the passport with which the former paramilitary commander will be able to return. to the country.
This morning, February 20, in a press conference, his counterpart from the Ministry of Defense, Iván Velásquez, assured that they will respect all due processes with respect to Mancuso so that he can enter Colombia and, once there, maintain your safety and protect your life.
“Salvatore Mancuso’s life must be protected, the announcements of his contributions and the possibility of contributing to the truth is an objective fact that increases his security levels.” Minister Velásquez points out. “I understand that Salvatore Mancuso actually has some judicial requirements, that there are convictions against him, that there are investigations, that there are security measures against him, which means that upon arriving in the country once this situation has been verified, he must be left at the disposal of that judicial authority.”
All this due to the importance that it has had in recent months with statements about the links of businessmen, the National Army and the paramilitary groups that operated in various areas of the country, to courts such as the JEP.
The National Government says that they have already identified some places where Mancuso could be, while it is defined whether he should be detained extramurally or because he will fulfill the role of peace manager, since Gustavo Petro designated him as such in 2023.