Petro says that he accepts a call from the Supreme Court and recognizes the independence of the Attorney General’s Office

( Spanish) — The president of Colombia Gustavo Petro said through a press release this Saturday that he “accepts” the call of the Supreme Court of Justice and recognized the independence of the Attorney General’s Office, but warned that he will not “remain silent” about the complaints filed.

The president responded in this way after his controversial statements where he argued that, according to the Colombian Constitution, due to his position he is the “chief” of the country’s attorney general.

For his part, the attorney general, Francisco Barbosa, announced that his family will leave the country for security reasons amid a tense confrontation with Petro after the president said that “senior members” of the Prosecutor’s Office “refused to act.” about a journalistic investigation that attributes the murders and disappearances of citizens to the Clan del Golfo.

The president denounces that “prosecutor Hernández continues in his position despite the fact that he was accused of malfeasance and for allegedly threatening a witness in the Odebrecht case, an investigation that, according to journalistic sources, has him in the sights of the FBI.”

After the president’s complaint on Twitter, the delegate prosecutor Daniel Hernández has filed a complaint against President Petro before the Accusations Commission for the violation of personal data, arguing that on his personal Twitter account, Petro published the photo of the prosecutor’s youngest son delegate, for which reason he made the president responsible for his safety and that of his family.

In December 2022, Hernández was indicted by the prosecution for prevarication by omission for allegedly having concealed information and arrest warrants for several people involved in the Odebrecht case who were therefore able to leave the country. He was also charged for allegedly threatening a witness in the same case of the Brazilian transnational, this information was shared by the Prosecutor’s Office with the FBI and from there the journalistic versions would be deduced that indicate that this entity would have “under the magnifying glass the delegated prosecutor ”. Hernández has denied all the accusations against him.

Petro met this Saturday with the Prime Minister of Portugal, the socialist António Costa, and will be received on Sunday by the President of that country, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, before concluding his working visit in Lisbon.