A member of the Bogota council on Tuesday has demanded the impeachment of mayor Gustavo Petro because of his criminal record, Caracol Radio reported Tuesday.
According to U Party council member Orlando Parada, Petro should be impeached because he was convicted for carrying illegal firearms in 1985 when he was still a member of guerrilla organization M-19.
The councilor filed a petition to impeach Petro before the State Council, who has so far allowed Petro to govern Colombia’s capital city under the amnesty granted to M-19 members as part of their 1991 demobilization deal with the government.
According to Parada the amnesty is not applicable to Petro’s firearms case because the conviction against him is a common crime and not related to M-19’s involvement in the armed conflict and should therefore bar Petro from holding any public office. The councilor reminded the radio station of a case in which a council member was forced to leave his post after being convicted for stealing a street light.
The leftist Petro was elected mayor in October 2011 but has been facing fierce opposition from Bogota’s mainly conservative city council.