Colombian Defense Minister Gabriel Silva said Friday that there is no evidence of assassination plot against three Supreme Court judges, including the former head of the court, Augusto Ibañez.
“We don’t have any evidence of an attempt against the magistrates but we have made some preventative decisions to avoid violent attacks,” Silva said.
The defense minister ordered the security and protection measures of the three magistrates to be revised and strengthened.
The Supreme Court said the situation was an attempt to intimidate the court, threaten its integrity and undermine the rule of law.
Police revealed Thursday that demobilized paramilitary leader “Ban Ban,” who is cooperating with authorities in the Justice and Peace tribunal, allegedly revealed the assassination plot to the authorities three weeks ago.
It was reported Thursday that police captured two alleged assassins close to the home of one of the three judges in the north of Bogota. One of the men was carrying a pistol equipped with a silencer.
In addition, a suspicious vehicle containing firearms was recently found near the home of another of the targeted judges.
Assassination targets Ibañez, and Judges Javier Zapata and Jorge Luis Quintero Milanes, suspended the planned vote on a new prosecutor general, while police assessed their security.