Colombia rejects Guatemala's accusations against defense minister

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
17 Jan 15:49

Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez, a former UN anti-corruption investigator, oversaw Guatemala's UN-backed International Commission against impunity from 2013 to 2019.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro (Reuters)

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said, on Monday, that he would not accept any "arrest warrant" for his defense minister after a Guatemalan prosecutor accused him of criminal behavior.

Earlier on Monday, Rafael Curruchiche, the head of Guatemala's Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity, announced his office will launch "legal procedures" against Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez, a former UN anti-corruption investigator in Guatemala.

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While Curruchiche announced arrest warrants for several people, including Guatemala's former Attorney General Thelma Aldana, he did not include Velasquez.

Instead, the prosecutor stated that Velasquez will be held accountable for "illegal, arbitrary, and abusive activities" in connection with an investigation into alleged bribery involving the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.

Velasquez "showed how to fight against corruption and we won't permit corruption to come after him," Petro tweeted.

He further added that he had summoned Colombia's Ambassador to Guatemala to discuss the issue.

Velasquez published a statement on the "supposed probe" on Monday, stating that he had not been alerted of any requests from Guatemalan authorities regarding him.

In a statement, he said, "I have the peace of mind that the work carried out in the Central American country was done with total transparency and within the legal framework that supported CICIG's operations."