The search for Eric Fernando Gutiérrez Molina, a 32-year-old US flight attendant reported missing since March 22, concluded Friday following the discovery of a body in rural Antioquia, about two and a half hours south of Medellín. Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez confirmed that the remains were located between the municipalities of Jericó and Puente Iglesias, stating there is a very high probability they belong to the American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) employee.

Gutiérrez Molina, a Salvadoran-American national who lived in Texas, arrived in Medellín on a commercial flight via José María Córdova International Airport. He was last seen alive on Sunday, March 22, after visiting commercial establishments in the El Poblado neighborhood. Investigations by the Secretaría de Seguridad y Convivencia suggest the victim was targeted by criminals using scopolamine, a sedative that can be used to incapacitate victims for robbery. According to witness statements, Gutiérrez Molina and another flight attendant were approached at a nightclub by individuals who lured them to another venue in Itaguí, a southwestern suburb of Medellín. While the companion flight attendant was able to make it back to her hotel, ill and disoriented, Gutiérrez Molina remained missing for five days.

“We have very clear leads on those responsible,” stated Mayor Federico Gutiérrez. “I have requested that justice be served and that the perpetrators be sought for extradition to the United States if necessary.”

The body was spotted by residents of Puente Iglesias floating in the Río Piedra ravine. The Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses is currently conducting formal identification and an autopsy in Medellín. Mayor Gutiérrez reported that he has personally informed the victim’s father, the US Ambassador to Colombia, and the Consul General at the US Embassy in Bogotá regarding the development. The mayor stated that investigators have identified alleged perpetrators and expressed his intent to seek their extradition to the US.

Tengo que dar una triste noticia.
Desde el pasado Domingo, estamos en la búsqueda de Eric Gutiérrez un ciudadano Estadounidense que se encuentra desaparecido.
Lamentablemente acaba de ser encontrado un cuerpo sin vida, entre el municipio de Jericó y Puente Iglesias.
Existe…

— Fico Gutiérrez (@FicoGutierrez) March 27, 2026

This problem is not new. Criminals have been using scopolamine to prey on both Colombians and foreigners for years. Just last week, the Alcaldía de Medellín (Medellín Mayor’s Office) announced the capture of two women, aged 19 and 34, accused of drugging and robbing foreigners in Parque Lleras. The Policía Nacional and the Fiscalía General de la Nación  (Colombia Attorney General’s Office) conducted raids in the Caicedo and Villa Hermosa neighborhoods to dismantle the operation. The suspects reportedly offered escort services as a facade to move victims to tourist accommodations, where they administered benzodiazepines such as clonazepam to facilitate the theft of high-value belongings and cash.

Manuel Villa Mejía, Secretary of Security and Convivencia, stated that the captured women had extensive judicial records for aggravated robbery. During the operations, authorities seized mobile devices, identification documents belonging to other women, and a firearm. Villa Mejía emphasized that the city is utilizing intelligence and focused operations to close pathways for those who instrumentalize tourism for criminal purposes. These actions are part of a broader strategy to weaken the financial operations of networks that continue to target international visitors in El Poblado.

Finance Colombia has also reported on the capture of the Queen of Scopolamine, who led a network dedicated to drugging and robbing tourists in Parque Lleras. Despite prior law enforcement successes against structures like Las Barbies and The Ghetto, predatory crime remains a concern for the international investment community and business travelers.

Also read: Don’t Be A Victim! Six Rules For Safety When Visiting Colombia

photo of Mr. Gutierrez from social media

The petroleum workers called for Ricardo Roa’s head following formal influence-peddling charges filed by Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office.

One of Colombia’s principal petroleum worker’s unions, the Unión Sindical Obrera (USO), has formally requested that Ecopetrol’s board of directors remove Ricardo Roa Barragán as president of the state-controlled oil company, amid ongoing investigations against him by the Attorney General’s Office. The union warned that it will call a nationwide strike if the request is not addressed.

The request was made in a letter dated March 24, sent after a meeting between union representatives and the company’s board. In the document, the USO stated that, “understanding the feelings of the Colombian people as reflected by the thousands of Ecopetrol workers, we immediately request that, within the framework of due diligence, the board of directors adopt the necessary measures to remove Dr. Ricardo Roa Barragán from his position as president of Ecopetrol.”

The union added that, if the request is not met, “this union will call for nationwide mobilization in defense of the most important asset of the Colombian people.”

On the same day, March 24, Ecopetrol’s board issued a public response, reported by outlets such as Caracol Radio, stating that it had reviewed requests from employees, the union and some minority shareholders.

In its statement, the board said it is “aware of its responsibilities within the framework of due diligence” and has been assessing the risks to the company stemming from reports related to Roa. However, it confirmed that Roa will remain in his position while the evaluation process continues.

The union’s request follows charges filed by the Attorney General’s Office on March 11 against Roa for alleged influence peddling. According to prosecutors, Roa is accused of favoring a third party in the allocation of a project in exchange for a reduction in the price of an apartment he purchased in 2023.

More details on the case can be found in the article “Colombia’s Top Prosecutor Charges Ecopetrol President in Alleged Influence-Peddling Case,” published by Finance Colombia.

At this stage, although the information has been publicly reported, judicial decisions remain under the authority of the Attorney General’s Office, which is leading the proceedings.

Roa’s legal situation is also linked to another investigation involving alleged irregularities in the financing of the Pacto Histórico presidential campaign in 2022, which he managed and which resulted in Gustavo Petro’s election as president.

In February, the Attorney General’s Office said investigators found indications that the campaign may have exceeded legal spending limits. A similar case had already been reviewed by Colombia’s elections authority, the National Electoral Council, which fined those responsible more than $5 billion Colombian pesos (over $1.4 million USD).

Photo by Ecopetrol.

So far, three people have been convicted in the killing of former presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay, while arrest warrants target seven members of FARC dissident factions.

Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office is advancing its investigation into the assassination of Senator and presidential pre-candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay. On one hand, it sentenced alias “El Viejo” to more than 22 years in prison for acting as an intermediary between those who ordered the crime and the criminal network that carried out the attack; on the other, it issued arrest warrants for seven individuals belonging to a dissident faction of the FARC accused of ordering the killing.

The assassination of the Centro Democrático party senator and presidential candidate took place on June 7, 2025, in Bogotá while he was participating in campaign-related activities. The attack was carried out by a 14-year-old who fired multiple shots and was immediately captured after an exchange of gunfire with National Police officers and Uribe Turbay’s security team.

General attorney, Luz Adriana Camargo Garzón said the crime was not “an isolated act, but the result of a structured criminal operation that involved both an urban criminal network operating as outsourcing and an organized armed group” known as the “The Segunda Marquetalia.”

Miguel Uribe Londoño, a presidential candidate and the victim’s father, said in a tweet directed at President Gustavo Petro: “President @petrogustavo You harassed Miguel with your verbal abuse, making him a target for assassination. Your government failed to protect him. Your government has been tolerant of drug trafficking, and the criminals who benefited from your total peace used the Second Marquetalia to assassinate Miguel. But the masterminds behind this must continue to be sought within the Colombian government. We cannot continue to accept this violence. This is why Miguel’s legacy needs to be upheld in the Presidency, and I will carry it until the last day of my life.”

Presidente @petrogustavo.

Usted hostigó a Miguel con su violencia verbal poniéndolo como carne de cañón para que lo asesinaran.

Su gobierno no le dio protección.

Su gobierno ha sido tolerante con el narcotráfico y los criminales beneficiados con su paz total utilizaron a la… pic.twitter.com/mPPvVYZgJv

— Miguel Uribe (@migueluribel) March 22, 2026

Judicial developments and convictions

According to the Attorney General’s report, three individuals have already been convicted through plea agreements:

1. Simeón Pérez Marroquín, alias “El Viejo,” identified as the link between those who ordered the crime and the criminal network, was sentenced on March 20 to 22 years and four months in prison.
2. Carlos Mora González, who conducted surveillance at the attack site and transported other suspects, was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
3. Katherine Andrea Martínez, who took part in planning meetings and retrieved the weapon used (a Glock pistol), was sentenced to 21 years and two months in prison.

The 14-year-old who carried out the attack was sentenced under Colombia’s Juvenile Criminal Responsibility System.

Criminal network and FARC dissident involvement

After nine months of investigation, prosecutors established the involvement of the dissident FARC faction known as The Segunda Marquetalia as the group that ordered the crime and issued arrest warrants against several of its alleged leaders and members.

According to the statement, those targeted include Kendry Téllez Álvarez, identified as a possible mastermind; Iván Luciano Marín Arango, alias “Iván Márquez”; Géner García Molina, alias “Jhon 40”; Alberto Cruz Lobo, alias “Enrique Marulanda”; Jhon Jairo Bedoya Arias, alias “Rusbel”; Diógenes Medina Hernández, alias “Gonzalo”, and José Aldinever Sierra Sabogal, alias “Zarco Aldinever”.

They face charges of aggravated homicide, conspiracy to commit a crime, and the manufacture, trafficking, possession or carrying of firearms, accessories, parts or ammunition.

Additionally, according to El Colombiano, authorities are offering a reward of up to $5 billion Colombian pesos (around $1,4 million USD) for information leading to the capture of alias “Iván Márquez”, and $4 billion Colombian pesos ($1,2 million USD) for alias “Jhon 40” and “Zarco Aldinever”, identified as key leaders of the group.

“Wanted dead or alive”

According to El Colombiano, “the inclusion of ‘Zarco Aldinever’ on the most-wanted list has raised questions, as he had reportedly been killed in August 2025 in alleged clashes with the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group”

“He is alive; that is, we have no evidence that he is dead. For us, “Zarco Aldinever” is alive. There is no corroborated evidence regarding the rumor that he was killed by the ELN. It remains a rumor, which is why the arrest warrant was issued,” the attorney general said.

Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Iván Luciano Marín Arango, alias “Iván Márquez”, one of the former negotiators of the 2016 peace agreement who later returned to armed activity, remain unknown. He has been reported dead on several occasions, most recently in July 2023, when it was speculated he had died from gunshot wounds in Venezuela.

However, the government has not confirmed those reports. “Despite intelligence efforts by the security forces, there is no reliable information to determine his whereabouts or status,” Defense Minister, Major General (ret.) Pedro Arnulfo Sánchez said.

Photo above. Colombia’s Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo during a presentation on progress in the Miguel Uribe Turbay case. Photo courtesy of the Attorney General’s Office.

Photo in social media. Miguel Uribe Turbay. Photo courtesy of the Senate of the Republic of Colombia.

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro ran for president on a campaign promising Paz Total—Total Peace. He promised to give the FARC dissidents, the vicious ELN guerillas, and mafias like the Clan del Golfo a good talking to, and with that, they will just lay down their weapons and become model citizens. Petro promised that through dialogue with bloodthirsty kidnappers and extortionists, they would be willing to stop being bloodthirsty kidnappers and extortionists; as if they are just misunderstood little muffins who only need a hug.

Nubia Carolina Córdoba, governor of Chocó, Colombia (photo from her Twitter account)

According to figures compiled by the Universidad Externado and reported by The City Paper Bogotá, Colombia has recorded 40,663 homicides during the first three years of the Petro presidency. Over 400 human rights defenders have been slaughtered between 2022 and 2025 according to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights. Human Rights Watch reports that the ELN and FARC dissidents have expanded their territories by up to 55%. They are taking back over Colombia.

Under Gustavo Petro’s watch, Colombia has returned to the Institute for Economics and Peace’s Global Terrorism Index top ten list of countries impacted by terrorism, along with Total Peace destinations like Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, and Syria. Just this past week, a Clan del Golfo poster was put up within walking distance from the Aeropuerto Internacional José María Córdova just outside of Medellín. This Total Peace nonsense is a failure.

Right now, in the neglected Pacific department of Chocó, the ELN has kidnapped whole communities. Petro ran a campaign promising that he was going to embrace these historically neglected communities—places like Chocó, Nariño, La Guajira, and Norte de Santander—but insecurity is increasing. Chocó’s governor, Nubia Carolina Córdoba, says 6,047 people are trapped inside of their homes because the ELN has announced an illegal armed curfew in the municipality of Bajo Baudó. Most of these people are already poor, and now they have been kidnapped en masse by this guerilla group that operates with impunity because Gustavo Petro coddles them with “dialogue.”

According to Governor Córdoba, they attacked the police station in the village of Santa Rita using grenades attached to drones. It has gotten so bad that Colombia has restricted the entry of drones into the country. These people are calling out for help, but the president insists on talking as the ELN grows and continues to menace the police forces, the Colombian military, and, most importantly, the innocent public.

There is currently public disorder where belligerents have completely blocked the roads in the north of Antioquia, in the region called Bajo Cauca, and also in the neighboring department of Córdoba. The city of Caucasia is under curfew. Antioquia’s Governor, Andrés Rendón, has urgently called on the national government to stop the talk and take action. Groups are attacking ambulances and burning people’s motorcycles as they try to get by the roadblocks, regardless of the emergency.

Governor Rendón stated: “There can be no dialogue amidst blockades and human rights violations. It’s been seven days now with the Bajo Cauca region paralyzed and the country held hostage by chaos.” He called on the Fiscalía General de la Nación to bring those responsible to justice and challenged the Minister of Defense, Pedro Sánchez, to order the immediate reopening of the roads. “We’re not talking about small-scale miners here; behind this are criminal structures, as everyone knows, that finance themselves through illegal mining and move billions of pesos,” Rendón added, demanding full authority against the criminals who use communities as a shield.

El gobernador de Antioquia, @AndresJRendonC, se pronunció sobre la situación de orden público en el Bajo Cauca, en medio de los bloqueos que ya completan varios días y afectan la movilidad y la seguridad en la región. @GobAntioquia pic.twitter.com/4SPQgTa68r

— MiOriente (@MiOriente) March 22, 2026

The current situation with these organized criminal groups—whether regular mafias like the Clan del Golfo or murderous Marxist guerillas like the ELN and the FARC dissidents—is reminiscent of a classroom where a substitute teacher has lost all control. Petro promised Total Peace, but the result has been Total Chaos. Investors do not want to deal with this mess. While the Petro government claims they want tourism to be a major economic driver, road blocks make many areas look like scenes out of Mad Max: Road Warrior. Whole zones of the Pacific coast are unsafe even for residents, met with pure impotence from the regime.

Ten years ago, it was safe to drive from Medellín to the beachside town of Coveñas in Sucre, but that is no longer the case. While it remains safe to visit Colombia for business or tourism in major hubs like Bogotá, Medellín, Santa Marta, or the San Andrés islands, the long-term outlook is concerning. My hope is that Colombians choose a future leader serious about law and order as a prerequisite for human rights. It is not only the government that we need to protect human rights from; those who kill, steal, kidnap, and forcibly recruit children are violating those rights as well.

Colombian anti-explosives experts inspect propaganda by the Clan del Golfo mafia group just minutes away from Medellin’s international airport in March, 2026 (image from Facebook).

Ricardo Roa was appointed CEO of Ecopetrol after serving as Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s campaign manager. The Presidential campaign is also under investigation for campaign finance violations.

The controversy surrounding the filing of charges against Ricardo Roa Barragán, president of Colombia´s oil and energy company, Ecopetrol, has taken a new turn following the leak of an internal report suggesting that more than $42 million USD may have been transferred to a private company based in the British Virgin Islands.

According to disclosed information, “the media outlet 6AM W obtained documents showing the link between the USD 42 million payment made by Ecopetrol and a company connected to Serafino Iácono,” as stated by the outlet itself.

It is important to recall that on March 11, Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office (Fiscalía General de la Nación – FGN) formally charged Ricardo Roa Barragán with the alleged crime of influence peddling by a public official. According to the accusation, the executive allegedly intervened to favor a third party (Serafino Iácono) in the assignment of a gasification project in exchange for personal benefits. The FGN stated that Roa “ordered that a specific person be assigned to a gasification project in exchange for a reduction in the price of an apartment” located in northern Bogotá. During the hearing, the executive did not accept the charges.

Regarding the leaked documents, 6AM W reports that the published material “is a memorandum produced following a communication between the lawyers of Miller & Chevallier, hired by Ecopetrol, and Charles Cain, head of the Anti-Corruption Unit for Foreign Operators at the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC).” This suggests that the document is an internal Ecopetrol report produced in 2024.

Additionally, the report includes references to an “audit commissioned by Ecopetrol to Control Risks, which identifies Iácono as a possible beneficiary of the alleged irregular payment of $42 million USD made through a purchase option” of power generation plants linked to the company Genser, associated with the businessman.

The leaked documents can be accessed through the Caracol Radio website via “Las contradicciones de Ecopetrol y Serafino Iácono en el caso del apartamento de Roa y Termomorichal.”

For his part, Serafino Iácono issued a statement, published by La República via the social network X, in which he affirms that since April 7, 2017, he has had no relationship with the company and that the transaction in question took place in 2023, after his departure.

At this stage, although the information has been reported by the media, judicial decisions remain under the authority of Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office, which is leading the proceedings against Ricardo Roa. Iacono said that he would be filing suit against Control Risks, and hired well-known Colombian lawyer Jaime Lombana Villalba to begin the process.

For further context, readers are encouraged to consult the article “Colombia’s Top Prosecutor Charges Ecopetrol President in Alleged Influence-peddling Case,” published by Finance Colombia.

Beyond the communications previously issued and reported by Finance Colombia in the aforementioned article, no new official statements have been released by Ecopetrol’s board of directors since March 12, prior to the information leak. Finance Colombia has reached out to Iacono for comment and will report any additional information.

The investigation into Colombia’s President comes on the heels of Petro’s visit to Washington & meeting with Trump.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has designated Colombian President Gustavo Petro as a priority target as federal prosecutors in New York investigate potential connections to narcotics trafficking organizations. Records indicate that the US Department of Justice is reviewing multiple inquiries dating back to 2022, primarily supported by information from confidential informants.

The investigations involve allegations regarding interactions with the Sinaloa cartel and the possible use of the Paz Total policy to benefit specific traffickers who reportedly contributed to the 2022 presidential campaign. Documents also mention the potential use of law enforcement assets to facilitate the transport of cocaine and fentanyl through maritime terminals. The priority target designation is applied to individuals whom the DEA identifies as having a significant influence on international narcotics distribution.

President Petro has denied any involvement with criminal organizations or the acceptance of illicit funds for his political activities. In a statement released on social media, he suggested that legal proceedings in the US would eventually disprove allegations originating from political opponents. The Embassy of Colombia in Washington stated that the reports are based on unverified and anonymous sources.

“The reported insinuations have no legal or factual basis,” stated the Embassy of Colombia in Washington.

The inquiry has expanded in recent months, with prosecutors in the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York questioning detained individuals about allegations that representatives of the administration solicited bribes in exchange for preventing extradition to the US. It has not been confirmed whether formal charges will be filed against the president, and the White House has stated it has played no role in the independent judicial process.

Portions of the DEA records cite a 2024 interview regarding allegations that former aides and officials from Ecopetrol (NYSE: EC) (BVC: ECOPETROL) were used to launder funds. Ricardo Roa, the president of Ecopetrol, has denied these claims. Simultaneously, the US Department of the Treasury previously sanctioned Petro in late 2025, citing concerns over cocaine production levels, though specific evidence was not made public at that time.

While Petro denies connections to criminal groups, it is important to note that he was a member of the homicidal M-19 guerilla group in Colombia from his teenage years until the group laid down its arms in 1987. Petro served prison time for illegal arms possession due to his activities with the M-19.

Domestic investigations in Colombia are also ongoing regarding the president’s relatives. His son, Nicolas Petro, faced charges in 2023 related to the alleged receipt of funds from a convicted trafficker. Furthermore, the president’s brother, Juan Fernando Petro, has been linked to investigations involving unauthorized negotiations with inmates at the La Picota prison regarding the Paz total framework and extradition protections.

Witnesses currently in US custody who may be relevant to the ongoing probes include former members of the Venezuelan Cartel de Los Soles and various Colombian nationals recently extradited, such as individuals associated with the La Inmaculada organization and the Clan del Golfo (Gulf Clan). Some reports suggest that sums near $500 million COP were discussed in exchange for gestores de paz (“Peace Manager”) status, though these allegations remain under judicial review.

Headline photo: Colombian President Gustavo Petro (photo César Carrión, Presidencia de Colombia)

The charge adds to a separate investigation over alleged violations of campaign finance limits during President Gustavo Petro’s 2022 presidential campaign

Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office (Fiscalía General de la Nación – FGN) charged the president of the country’s state-controlled oil and energy company Ecopetrol (NYSE: EC’, BVC: ECOPETROL), Ricardo Roa Barragán, with the alleged crime of influence peddling by a public official. The charge was formally presented on March 11 during a public hearing.

According to the prosecutors press release, Roa “ordered that a specific person be assigned to a gasification project in exchange for a reduction in the price of an apartment” located in northern Bogotá. The Attorney General’s Office said the alleged intervention was related to the executive’s interest in acquiring the property below market value.

During the hearing, a prosecutor from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Directorate formally presented the charge. However, Roa did not accept the accusation.

The newspaper El Colombiano explained that “the filing of charges is a formal act within the criminal process through which the person under investigation is officially notified of their link to a judicial case and the facts attributed to them. However, this step does not imply a conviction or a final decision and maintains the presumption of innocence that protects the executive.”

After the judicial decision became public, Ecopetrol’s Board of Directors said Roa will remain in his position as president of the company. In a public statement, the company’s highest governing body said it respects “Ricardo Roa’s presumption of innocence and his right to due process.” It also said it will continue acting according to the company’s established protocols for evaluating this type of situation.

Roa pled innocent to the influence trafficking charges.

Context: political, legal, and corporate challenges

Ecopetrol is currently facing several political and economic challenges. These include judicial and disciplinary proceedings involving its president, as well as questions about the company’s institutional and financial stability.

For example, the company’s 2025 annual report sparked public debate after reporting the highest reserve replacement ratio in the last four years (121%). According to the document, “300 million barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) were added, guaranteeing an average reserve life of 7.8 years.”

The report also said, “net proven reserves reached 1.944 billion barrels of oil equivalent.” However, private firms such as the independent investment bank BTG Pactual questioned those figures due to a change in the methodology used to calculate them.

Another point of debate has been the presidency of the Board of Directors, currently headed by Ángela María Robledo Gómez, a psychologist and former member of Colombia’s House of Representatives for Bogotá. Robledo was a member of the Partido Alianza Verde between 2010 and 2018 and later ran as vice presidential candidate alongside Gustavo Petro in the 2018 elections.

Roa’s legal situation is also linked to another investigation related to alleged irregularities in the financing of the Pacto Histórico presidential campaign in 2022, which he managed and which resulted in Petro becoming president.

In February, the Attorney General’s Office said investigators had found evidence suggesting that the campaign exceeded the legal spending limits. A similar case had already been examined by Colombia’s elections regulator Consejo Nacional Electoral, which fined those responsible more than $5 billion Colombian pesos (over $1.4 million USD).

For his part, Colombian President Gustavo Petro has publicly defended Roa. During a public event broadcast by media outlets such as Blue Radio, the president said the accusations are politically motivated. “We did not exceed spending limits; I have reviewed that accounting up and down,” he said. He also argued that the opening of criminal proceedings could be interpreted as an attempt to politically target his government.

Headline photo: Colombian President Gustavo petro (left) with former campaign manager and current Ecopetrol CEO Ricardo Roa (photo courtesy Ecopetrol).

The sentence is the latest in the “Cartel of the Toga” judicial corruption scandal that has rocked the Colombian justice system over the past several years.

José Leonidas Bustos Martínez, a former Justice of the Sala Penal of the Corte Suprema de Justicia, was sentenced to 10 years and three months in prison for his role in the so-called “Cartel de la Toga,” a corruption network made up of judicial officials who received payments in exchange for influencing court decisions in favor of political leaders.

The Sala Especial de Primera Instancia issued ruling SEP 013 on February 20, 2026, finding Bustos Martínez guilty of criminal conspiracy. In addition to the prison sentence, the Court barred him from holding public office for the same period and imposed a fine of approximately $36,200 USD.

José Leonidas Bustos Martinez was a leader of the “Cartel of the Toga” that sold justice to the highest bribe.

The former justice, who twice served as President of the Supreme Court, was acquitted of a separate charge of abuse of public office related to influence peddling.

The ruling states that no alternative sentencing measures, such as suspended sentence or house arrest, will be granted, meaning Bustos Martínez must serve his sentence in a Colombian correctional facility to be designated by the Instituto Nacional Penitenciario y Carcelario (INPEC).

The Court also ordered the issuance of an arrest warrant and requested an Interpol Red Notice, as Bustos Martínez has resided in Canada since 2019.

According to the Comisión de la Verdad de Colombia (Truth Commission), the so-called “Cartel de la Toga” was a corruption scheme operating since 2010 through which “Colombia’s justice system was infiltrated through the purchase of judicial rulings.” The Commission stated that “officials involved diverted investigations, delayed proceedings, misused privileged information, altered evidence and discredited witnesses in order to favor those who paid for judicial decisions that appeared lawful.”

Investigations lead by the Commission determined that the scheme sought to illegally interfere in cases against high-level political leaders in exchange for substantial sums of money, including obstructing arrest warrants and preventing pretrial detention measures.

Bustos Martinez’s conviction adds to more than 50 arrests and extraditions related to the case since 2017, including sentences against former judicial officials, former members of Congress, former mayors and former governors from various regions of Colombia.

Headline photo:In 2008 then President Álvaro Uribe swore in José Leonidas Bustos Martínez as magistrate of the Criminal Cassation (Appeals) Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, during a ceremony held Tuesday, April 1st, in the Gobelinos Hall of the presidential palace (photo: Presidential Archives of Colombia)