Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and the country’s Supreme Court continue to disagree on the President’s shortlist from which the court is to choose a new Prosecutor General.
On Thursday, the President said to be surprised by the Court’s demand that someone with experience in penal law to be included on the list.
The court for four months has refused to pick a candidate from the presidential shortlist, saying it was unable to pick a capable Prosecutor General from teh candidates.
One of the candidates resigned for his alleged attemp to bribe fellow members of the State Council and was then replaced by Marco Antonio Velilla, a Medellin economic law professor. The Court, almost immediately after the addition of Velilla, returned the shortlist to the Presidency, asking the President to consider adding someone with experience in penal law.
The lack of experience in penal law of the candidates had earlier been criticized by NGOs and local media as the Prosecutor General is in charge of criminally prosecuting offenders.
Again, Uribe refuses to reconsider the candidates and asks the Court to “reflect” the situation.