Colombian President Alvaro Uribe will not change the shortlist of
Prosecutor General candidates despite criticism of his nominees’
qualities and an apparent reluctance of the Supreme Court to elect one
of the three candidates.
Uribe met with members of the Court on Monday and explained his motivations for nominating Camilo Ospina, Juan Angel Palacio and Virginia Uribe to the judges, Interior and Justice Minister Fabio Valencia Cossio said after the meeting.
The Court had asked the President to give his opinion about complaints about the three candidates. NGOs reject the three nominees because they have no experience with penal law and candidate Palacio is suspected of bribery.
According to the Court, it has no competence to reject the President’s candidates, but has installed “a space for reflection, in order to succeed in this designation.”
Colombia’s former Prosecutor General, Mario Iguaran, left office the end of July. His responsibilities have been assumed by the deputy Prosecutor General until the Court elects a successor.