A seasoned prosecutor with few political ties is selected as Colombia’s attorney general

By MANUEL RUEDA
Associated Press

BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s Supreme Court has selected the nation’s new attorney general following a month of deliberations that were interrupted by protests outside the court and complaints from President Gustavo Petro, who argued the judges were stonewalling his nominees. Ultimately the court selected Luz Adriana Camargo as the nation’s lead prosecutor, with 18 of the 23 judges voting in favor. The attorney general in Colombia must be ratified by a two-thirds majority of the court, whose members are elected by the judicial branch. Camargo will lead the Attorney General’s Office, a branch of the Colombian state that has long been criticized for favoring its political allies. Observers are hoping that Camargo can make the Attorney General’s Office more independent and impartial.