Colombia’s Supreme Court asked the country’s Prosecutor General to
criminally investigate Social Welfare Minister Diego Palacio for filing
a false complaint in the Yidis-Politica case. The Minister is
investigated for bribery in that case.
According to Colombia’s highest court, the Minister had gone too far in sending a complaint about court to the Congress’ Accusations Committee after his name wouldn’t be removed from the sentence of former congresswoman Yidis Medina. In the sentence, Medina is convicted for accepting a bribe from Palacio.
In the motion, sent to Prosecutor General Mario Iguarán, the court explains the steps taken before finally coming to conclude Palacio in the conviction, adding that the current minister seemed to have every intention of filing a false complaint and so hindering justice.
In reaction to the developments, Palacio told Caracol Radio that the complaint is not enough for him to step down. “I received the notification with calmth and believe that it would be very helpful if the Prosecutor General and Attorney General would move forward in the same determination,” the Minister said.
The Minister, who is already under investigation of the bribing of Medina to make her approve the 2006 re-election of President Álvaro Uribe, says he won’t step down, because he doesn’t see how the lawsuit is hindering his job as minister.
Besides that, the Minister continues to believe in his own innocence. “I am convinced I have not done anything wrong,”he said.