Ruling coalition demands transparency after claims of an alleged effort to link President Gustavo Petro and Senator Iván Cepeda to drug trafficking.

Colombia’s ruling Historic Pact coalition on Wednesday alleged that a judicial scheme was being prepared to link President Gustavo Petro and Senator Iván Cepeda to drug trafficking, describing the reported effort as a threat to the country’s democracy and calling for an independent and transparent response from prosecutors.

In a statement, the party’s national leadership and its congressional caucus said the alleged operation was intended to implicate Petro and Cepeda in narcotics-related activities through what it described as the misuse of the justice system.

“If these events are confirmed, Colombia would be facing a new episode of political persecution through the improper use of justice (lawfare), a practice incompatible with the social rule of law and the guarantees inherent in a democracy,” the party said.

The Historic Pact called on the Attorney General’s Office to act with “absolute transparency and independence,” respond promptly to a formal petition filed by Cepeda and ensure that no investigation is used as a tool for political persecution.

The coalition also urged Colombian society, oversight bodies, human rights organizations and the international community to remain vigilant against any attempt to weaponize the justice system against opposition leaders.

It further rejected what it described as fabricated judicial cases, political stigmatization and all forms of political persecution, saying it would defend, through constitutional and democratic means, the rights to political opposition, due process and democracy.

“Justice cannot become an instrument of political persecution,” the statement said.

Cepeda Requests Clarification

Earlier on Wednesday, Cepeda, a former presidential candidate and the future leader of the opposition in the Senate, said he had evidence of what he described as a judicial setup targeting both himself and Petro.

In a post on X, Cepeda said he had received information from a source he considered credible and announced that he would submit a formal petition to Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo.

He said he would ask the attorney general to clarify whether the Attorney General’s Office, in coordination with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), is conducting any inquiry intended to link him and President Petro to drug trafficking, despite what he said was the lack of legal authority to pursue proceedings against them.

The Historic Pact said the Attorney General’s Office must ensure that any investigation is conducted independently and free from political motives, insisting that the justice system must not be used as a tool of political persecution.

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