The President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, has publicly backed his Minister of Defense, Iván Velásquez, after being accused by the Guatemalan Attorney General’s Office for his time in the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG).
«We will defend him. He will continue to be our minister,» Petro stressed in statements to journalists upon his arrival in Switzerland, where he will participate in the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The Colombian president, in fact, said that Velasquez worked to «destroy the impunity that dominated Guatemala» and defended his work against corruption, thanks to which societies like the Guatemalan can be «the true owners of power».
In this sense, Petro, who has already recalled his ambassador to Guatemala for consultations, stressed that he will not allow the minister to be «persecuted» or «cornered» by «those who exercise this impunity», without specifying possible measures if the Central American country «insists on imprisoning just men».
Guatemala’s attorney general, Rafael Curruchiche has accused Velásquez of «illegal and abusive acts», in reference to an alleged approval of irregular cooperation agreements with two Brazilian executives of the construction company Odebrecht in 2017.
Velásquez, for his part, has indicated that he has not been notified of any requirement by Guatemalan authorities, highlighting his «commitment to transparency, justice and the fight against impunity.»
«I have the peace of mind that the work carried out in the Central American country was carried out with total transparency and within the legal framework that protected the operation of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala,» he said in a statement.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
