Colombia’s deputy chief prosecutor Martha Mancera said President Gustavo Petro was behind allegations she has been protecting corrupt officials with ties to drug traffickers.
Mancera responded to allegations made by two agents of the prosecution’s Technical Investigations Unit (CTI), who said that the prosecution’s deputy chief was sabotaging corruption investigations.
Colombia’s deputy chief prosecutor again linked to drug trafficking
According to Mancera, these allegations are part of a presidential conspiracy to prevent her replacing Prosecutor General Francisco Barbosa, who is expected to step down in February next year.
They are discrediting yours truly from the presidential palace in order to try to discredit my good name with the purpose of not allowing the appointment of the new Prosecutor General of the Nation. This is a matter of the president, of trying to stain me as a drug trafficker when the drug traffickers are others.
Deputy chief prosecutor Martha Mancera
“The one who put a target on my back is the president for posting about these situations and making unfounded claims” on social media, said Mancera.
The deputy chief prosecutor has been facing corruption allegations since July 2021, more than a year before President Gustavo Petro took office.
Evidence released by self-proclaimed judicial workers from the Valle del Cauca province accused Mancera of protecting two former prosecutors, who had been indicted for their alleged ties to drug trafficking organizations from southwestern Colombia.
These allegations have been confirmed by convicted drug traffickers, namely “El Medico,” whose testimonies were key in the conviction of the prosecution’s former financial crimes chief, Ana Catalina Noguera.
Colombia’s prosecution cornered over drug links
The prosecution’s alleged ties to Colombia’s drug trade are being investigated by prosecutor Mario Burgos, one of Mancera’s most loyal subordinates.
