Colombia’s Supreme Court picked a new chief prosecutor from a presidential shortlist surrendered in September last year.
Luz Adriana Camargo will replace acting Prosecutor General Martha Mancera, who temporarily took office after the end of former Prosecutor General Francisco Barbosa’s term on February 8.
Camargo is one of Colombia’s most experienced jurists in criminal law and has ample experience in investigating political corruption.
The newly picked chief prosecutor and Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez together investigated ties between paramilitary groups and politicians, which resulted in the incarceration of more than 80 congressmen and governors between 2005 and 2014.
They subsequently joined a UN commission that investigated political corruption in Guatemala.
Camargo is the first prosecutor general with a specialization in criminal law since 2011 and is expected to tackle corruption and mismanagement in the judicial branch.
The Supreme Court decision put an end to growing tensions between the top court and President Gustavo Petro, who’s had strained relations with Mancera, Barbosa and former Prosecutor General Nestor Humberto Martinez.
All three former prosecution chiefs have faced serious corruption allegations and presided over what appeared to be a gradual collapse of the institution.
Apart from trying to tackle organizational problems, Camargo will be responsible for multiple high-profile investigations, including fraud and bribery charges against former President Alvaro Uribe.
