The State Council denied former Liberal Party Senator Piedad Cordoba’s request to be reinstated to her seat Tuesday.
The State Council denied her request, saying that it found no reason to grant her reinstatement. This is the sixth legal setback Cordoba has faced in her quest to regain her office.
In 2010, Colombia’s inspector general banned Cordoba from holding office for 18 years, accusing her of ties to the FARC. The inspector general cited evidence obtained from FARC computers that Colombia’s chief prosecutor, the prosecutor general, did not consider sufficient evidence to merit an investigation at the time. In May, Colombia’s Supreme Court ruled that the computers could not be used as evidence. Cordoba has sought to regain her seat many times.
Cordoba is a controversial figure in Colombian politics as she has argued passionately for a political solution to the FARC conflict and has negotiated the release of many FARC hostages. In 2009 Cordoba was nominated for a Nobel peace prize.