The elected president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, has outlined little by little what his government will be, with the appointment of some ministers.
Bit by bit, Petro —who won the elections on June 19— is announcing the officials who will lead the ministries in the government that begins on August 7.
Ministry of Defense – Ivan Velasquez
Lawyer Iván Velásquez, born in Medellín, has a long history in the Colombian judicial system and as commissioner of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala.
In Colombia, during the 1990s, he led investigations against Pablo Escobar. In 2017, as an assistant magistrate of the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Colombia, Velásquez investigated the links of congressmen with paramilitarism and obtained the conviction of more than 50.
In 2013, he took office in the UN commission to fight corruption in Guatemala, but four years later then-president Jimmy Morales decided to expel him.
Velásquez has the challenge of removing the National Police from the Ministry of Defense, as proposed by the president-elect, so that it becomes a civilian body and forms part of the Ministry of Justice or the Interior.
Ministry of the Interior – Alfonso Prada
Just one day before his inauguration as president of Colombia, Petro announced the appointment of several ministers. One of them was Alfonso Prada, former representative to the House and former councilman, for the Ministry of the Interior.