Weekly Report - 11 May 2023 (WR-23-19)

President Gustavo Petro’s troubled relationship with Colombia’s attorney general’s office has plumbed new depths after he attempted to pull rank on Attorney General Francisco Barbosa on 5 May. In response to Petro’s assertion that, in effect, he should be doing the bidding of the president, Barbosa called Petro a “dictator” and accused him of failing to respect the institutional independence of the judiciary. Petro also received stern criticism from the supreme court, which issued a statement expressing its “grave concern” at Petro’s remarks.