The human rights office of the Organization of American States (OAS) pressured Colombia’s Supreme Court to pick a chief prosecutor.
In a statement, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) said that it “encouraged” the court “to comply with its constitutional duty and finalize the selection process of the person in charge of the Prosecutor General’s Office as soon as possible.”
The IACHR issued the statement the day after Prosecutor General Francisco Barbosa ended his four-year term.
In his stead, Barbosa’s former deputy Martha Mancera, who is facing multiple corruption allegations, automatically became acting Prosecutor General.
The court’s failure to pick a new chief prosecutor from a shortlist that was submitted by the president in August last year “could weaken the Colombian judicial system,” said the IACHR.
The Prosecutor General’s Office, having a monopoly on criminal prosecution, plays a fundamental role in the fight against impunity, access to justice and in the preservation of democracy and the rule of law in Colombia. The absence of an incumbent and the appointment of interim persons may affect its independence and autonomy.
According to international and Inter-American human rights standards, the selection process must be carried out with transparency and access to information, ensuring the criteria of equality, non-discrimination, training and merit. Furthermore, the process must be free from any type of interference, harassment or undue pressure.
Therefore, the IACHR encourages the Supreme Court of Justice to comply with its constitutional duty and finalize the selection process of the incumbent of the Prosecutor General’s Office as soon as possible.
IACHR
The statement came a week after OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro said that the effective selection of a new chief prosecutor was of “vital importance” to “constitutional and political certainty” in Colombia.
The court’s failure to pick a new chief prosecutor further escalated tensions between the court, judicial employees and President Gustavo Petro, who stressed that mounting allegations of corruption caused an “institutional breakdown” inside the Prosecutor General’s Office.
