Colombia’s Constitutional Court upheld a 2010 ruling to ban outspoken politician Piedad Cordoba from holding public office for 18 years for colluding with rebel group FARC.
Cordoba, a once successful politician and senator who appeared to be the peaceful foil to former President Alvaro Uribe’s militaristic plans of defeating the FARC, now faces a reality that the door to political office will be shut for her for 18 years.
The Constitutional Court held Thursday that the 2010 investigation carried out by the Inspector General, Alejandro Ordoñez, did not overreach by banning the former senator from holding office. This ruling seemed to affirm that Cordoba did indeed have ties to the FARC in order to boost her own political perception, the initial justification for the intense punishment.
The Court found that the Constitution of Colombia does give the Inspector General the power to ban a citizen from running for office as a punishment.
In 2008, an air raid by Colombia’s Air Force killed FARC commander “Raul Reyes.” After the attack USBs and laptops were uncovered proving communications between Cordoba and Reyes. In 2010, Ordoñez convicted Cordoba as not only having ties to the FARC but also “aiding and promoting illegal armed groups.”
The soon to be ex-senator claimed that the communications were always in the name of peace. The evidence was eventually thrown out due to suspicion of being obtained illegally, however the State Council and now the Constitutional Court still upheld the ruling.
Colombia’s Supreme Court is still conducting a criminal investigation into the former senator’s ties to the rebel group.
Her dreams of attaining Colombia’s highest political office will have to be put on hold for a few election cycles.
MORE: ‘I want to be the next president of Colombia’: Piedad Cordoba