Colombia’s new Minister of Justice, César Julio Valencia Copete, will take office after clashing in the past with former President Alvaro Uribe during his time as head of the Supreme Court over the case of illegal phone wiretapping, known as “chusadas”, which included the surveillance of judges, journalists, opposition politicians and human rights defenders. The scandal led to the disappearance of the Department of Administrative Security (DAS), the central entity in the country’s intelligence services. Against this background, President Gustavo Petro decided to appoint Valencia Copete in the context of the institutional crisis in the judicial sector after the resignation of Eduardo Montealegre. According to Europe Press, Petro’s announcement came after Uribe’s second-degree acquittal and a period of strong political and judicial tension.
The Head of State announced the appointment through a brief message shared on the social media network, and according to Europe Press, the President did not reveal further details about the reasons for his decision or the selection process, although the statement directly referred to the pressures that members of the judiciary have been exposed to recently.
César Julio Valencia Copete, a lawyer graduated from the Colombian Externado University and specialized in commercial law, has become the fourth head of the judiciary in the current presidential term. Montealegre’s departure was formalized after the judicial decision that benefited former President Uribe, which had repercussions on both the political and judicial levels. Montealegre is also subject to an investigation opened by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, headed by Gregorio Eliach, in connection with alleged involvement in politics, European Press Media reported. This process began after Montealegre publicly expressed his rejection of the right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriilla.
For his part, Montealegre submitted his letter of resignation, denouncing the alleged passivity of the Prosecutor’s Office in prosecuting crimes against humanity and in cases related to Uribe, while pointing to pressures within the judicial administration. In the submitted document, as published by Europa Press, Eliach was accused of alleged evasion and strongly criticized the Prosecutor’s Office with the following statement: “The Prosecutor’s Office will not move to punish the crimes against humanity committed by Uribe in Aru and La Granja, nor the links between him and his family with the paramilitary groups. Uribe is the master of justice, and she, like a slave, meekly bows before his enormous power.”
During Valencia Cobbetti’s tenure as Chief Justice, there were periods of great institutional tension, in particular due to the investigation and debate surrounding the issue of illegal interceptions. Europe Press explained that the scandal led to the official disappearance of DAS, which led to the complete reorganization of the Colombian state’s intelligence service. Moreover, the election of the new president represents an important move for the Petro government in a period marked by successive resignations in the portfolio of justice, with Valencia Copete becoming the fourth minister since the beginning of the term.
The appointment comes in a context in which tensions between the Supreme Courts, the executive branch, and the Public Prosecutor’s Office have reached high levels. The Uribe case specifically and its alleged judicial misconduct served as a catalyst for a new phase of discussions about judicial independence and power dynamics in Colombia. Europe Press notes that relations between political power and justice bodies went through a period of questioning that included mutual accusations, disciplinary and judicial processes against various public figures.
With Valencia Copete joining the Ministry of Justice, new alliances are expected within the Colombian judicial sector. Although President Petro did not provide details about the road map that will be followed under the new leadership, the minister’s file is linked to a long history in the sector and a role in high-level investigations, especially in matters related to protecting the rule of law and combating external and internal pressures on the judiciary. As Europe Press gathered, the reference to “persecuted judges” refers to a recent phase in which the independence of the judiciary has become a subject of public debate due to increasing interactions and friction with the executive and with some symbolic political figures.
The succession process, resulting from Montealegre’s resignation, intensified interest in the portfolio, the stability of which was affected by the high turnover of owners during the term. Europa Press emphasized that pressure on the branch’s ministers was continuing and that the political and judicial dynamic was still characterized by the impact of the Uribe cases and debates on the role of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
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