Colombia Attorney General to Investigate President Santos in Effort to Stop Peace Deal

Colombia's Attorney General Alejandro Ordoñez, in an effort to put a brake on the peace process between the government and the FARC-EP, said Tuesday he will investigate President Juan Manuel Santos, accusing him of not fulfilling his constitutional duties regarding the peace process.

RELATED:
Colombia's Lead Peace Negotiator Slams Far-Right Fearmongering

Ordoñez, an outspoken right-wing official opposed to the peace process, blamed Santos for never responding to an August 1 letter in which he asked the president to answer 60 questions about the ceasefire deal recently signed in Havana, Cuba, which the Colombian people hailed as the end of the war between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

“If there is nothing to hide, if everything is transparent, why would he not fulfill his duty and answer to the Colombian people?” asked Ordoñez.

On the same day, Santos simply said that the head of the public ministry had “no reason to investigate or question the president.”

The peace process between the FARC-EP and the Colombian government has been underway in Havana for nearly four years. A final peace deal is expected in a matter of weeks after the two sides of the 50-year-old conflict agreed to a bilateral ceasefire earlier this year.

A number of landmark partial agreements have already been made on matters related to agrarian reform, the rights of victims, transitional justice, illicit coca production, among other issues. Key outstanding negotiations include political participation of demobilized FARC-EP rebels and their reincorporation into society, as well as continued right-wing paramilitary activity within Colombia.