Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said in a government press release Wednesday that he “respects” and “abides” by the ruling to dismiss the Prosecutor General Viviane Morales because she was elected illegitimately.
The head of state commented, “Given the mistake, of course we respect and abide by the decision, as we should. We will wait to see its scope and officially note how we are going to proceed.”
Santos said that whoever takes over the official role will have the full support of the government in the fight against crime and corruption.
The President did not rule out Morales being reinstated as Prosecutor General. But Morales would have to be officially elected like any other candidate.
He hoped that the dismissal would not affect current legal cases being dealt with by the Prosecutor General’s office, expressing his desire that “the coordination between the government and the Prosecutor General to combat crime and corruption will not see any interruption.”
The removal of the country’s highest public prosecutor from office is a blow against the cases against some of the country’s most high-profile politicians who were charged by Morales over corruption scandals, and the illegal wiretapping of the Supreme Court, government critics and opponents.
