Colombia: Former Police Director files criminal charges against state intelligence

Retired Police Director Jorge Luis Vargas Valencia has announced criminal legal actions against officials for alleged illegal surveillance and profiling during President Gustavo Petro’s administration. Vargas Valencia claims that state resources, specifically through the National Intelligence Directorate (DNI) and the Financial Information and Analysis Unit (UIAF), were used to monitor his personal life and financial information for purposes unrelated to their legal mandates.

Vargas Valencia cited previous comments by President Petro, who once stated he had him ‘entre ojos’ (under observation), as a relevant background to these allegations. The legal complaints include potential crimes such as abuse of authority, embezzlement, and conspiracy to commit a crime.

In a separate but related development involving presidential security, Colonel Carlos Alberto Feria has been removed from the National Police. Feria, who previously served as head of security for President Petro, is currently facing judicial proceedings regarding alleged irregularities in a polygraph test conducted during an investigation into a missing briefcase at the home of former Chief of Staff Laura Sarabia. President Petro criticized the removal of Feria, characterizing the move as a ‘vendetta’ against those who provided his security.