Who is Álvaro Córdoba Ruiz, brother of the Colombian senator Piedad Córdoba?

The government of the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro,approved the extradition on Wednesday of Álvaro Fredy Córdoba Ruiz, who is required by a court in the southern district of New York, in the United States, for crimes related to drug trafficking.

But who is it? Why is this approval relevant?

Cordoba Ruiz is the brother of the senator of the Historical Pact, Piedad Córdoba, elected in March, by the political movement in which President Petro is a member.

Exactly one month after his possession, the senator’s brother was included in the third package of extraditions with Petro’s approval: Resolution 196 of September 7, 2022.

The decision was made despite the fact that the Colombian president recently proposed the possibility that drug traffickers will not be extradited to the United Statesif they negotiate with the Colombian State.

However, so far, Petro has already authorized 17 extraditions, a large number to the United States.

Who is Alvaro Freddy?

Álvaro Fredy was born in Medellín, 63 years ago. His parents are Zabulón Córdoba, born in Chocó, and Lía Ruiz from Antioquia. He studied nutrition at the University of Antioquia, in addition to other studies in economics and socioeconomic projects.

He ran as a candidate for the council of Medellín, in 2011, for the Liberal Party, but he did not get the position.

Córdoba Ruiz was arrested in February 2022, in Medellín, by the SIU group of the criminal investigation directorate and Interpol of the National Police, after meeting with Álvaro Alonso Jaramillo and Libia Amanda Palacio Mena, also under investigation.

According to the affidavit of a special agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Álvaro Córdoba is requested for alleged conspiracy to import narcotics. The senator’s brother would have participated in the coordination of cocaine and arms trafficking, and would have met and had contact with a criminal organization investigated by the DEA.

He is requested for his alleged links with a group of FARC dissidents.

According to a statement from the Minister of Justice, Néstor Iván Osuna, “today the National Government granted the extradition of Colombian citizen Alvaro Fredy Córdoba Ruiz, requested by the court of the Southern District of New York of the United States, for the charge of concert to import narcotics”.

The Colombian Government assured that Córdoba Ruiz will be able to file an appeal for reconsideration, during the next ten business days. If it is rejected, the extradition continues its course.

A difficult decision?

According to international analyst Enrique Prieto-Ríos, a professor at the Universidad del Rosario, the extradition of Piedad Córdoba’s brother “is a politically difficult decision” for the Colombian president, “because of the personal closeness between him and Piedad Córdoba many years ago, their closeness politics, even that she supported him to get to the House of Nariño”.

However, in an interview with voice of americathe analyst assures that with this decision, Petro shows that “he is taking a position of institutional defense”, since before reaching the presidency, in Colombia, the Supreme Court of Justice is the one that gives the green light for this extradition.

“The message that Gustavo Petro is sending is that he respects both the institutional framework, the independence of the judicial branch and, very importantly, that he will respect those international commitments acquired with other countries through international treaties,” adds the teacher.

Regarding the impact within the political party to which they both belong, the Historical Pact, the expert points out that “there are no major traumas”, since it is a decision that is not only the responsibility of the president, but also has a process behind it.

For her part, Piedad Córdoba has denied that she or her brother have links with drug trafficking or with illegal armed groups. In 2010, the Attorney General’s Office disciplined the senator for alleged ties to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). In 2016, the Council of State annulled the sanction.

Piedad Córdoba participated in the negotiations with the FARC in Havana, Cuba.

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