The Colombian government took the first step towards reopening the nation’s Justice Ministry, with the House of Representatives approving the first debate on the proposal, El Espectador reports.
Minister Fabio Valencia Cossio addressed the House of Representatives and proposed a bill to split the Interior and Justice Ministry into two separate bodies.
According to the minister, the plan aims to repair the tense relationship between the Colombian government and the Supreme Court, by putting just one government official in charge of justice, whilst the others would be dedicated to interior politics.
Disputes between the Colombian government and the Supreme Court have been frequent of late, with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe calling the issuance of an arrest warrant for government official Mario Aranguren an “injustice” that causes a “lack of confidence” in the court.
Following Uribe’s comments the court canceled a meeting with the president, which had been scheduled to discuss Colombia’s extradition treaty with the U.S., on the grounds that the president was undermining the court’s jurisdiction.