Colombia’s Supreme Court has delegated the investigation of crimes against humanity allegedly committed by former opposition senator Piedad Cordoba to Colombia’s Prosecutor General’s Office.
The accusations against Cordoba for alleged ties with Colombia’s largest rebel group, the FARC, happened during her time as senator. Cordoba claims she was worked with the FARC as a peace facilitator. The Supreme Court normally has jurisdiction of crimes committed by congressmen and women.
However, in a surprising turn of events, the Supreme Court passed the investigation over to the Prosecutor General at the request of the Inspector General, Alejandro Ordoñez who banned Corboda from politics for 18 years in 2010.
Colombia’s constitutional court holds political door shut for Piedad Cordoba
Cordoba’s lawyer, Maria Jimena Castilla, told RCN Radio that “it is shameful that the Supreme Court contradicts itself. The exsenator did not commit any crimes against humanity, as portrayed by the Inspector General. What she is accused of happened when she was senator, and so the Court should conserve their responsibility to continue the investigation. This is elemental, legally speaking.”
Castilla goes on to say “I hope that Prosecutor General Eduadro Montealegre, who was a student of mine, although he is not behaving very well right now, follows his legal knowledge and returns the case to the Court and respect the judicial process of the country.”
Inspector General Ordoñez asserts that Cordoba “promoted and collaborated with illegally armed groups.” According to the documents presented by Ordoñez, intelligence retrieved from slain FARC commander Raul Reyes’s computer, corroborate the fact that Cordoba worked for the rebel group.