Ivan Cancino appointed Colombia's Justice Minister

Criminal lawyer Ivan Cancino, with more than two decades of experience in high‑profile litigation and academia, has been named Justice and Law Minister in the incoming administration of President‑elect Abelardo de la Espriella, which takes office on 7 August. Cancino, a graduate of Universidad Externado de Colombia, has defended figures linked to major corruption investigations such as the UNGRD scandal and the case involving former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez.

As minister, Cancino is slated to pursue an ambitious legal agenda that includes introducing life imprisonment for certain crimes without a constitutional amendment, tightening criminal responsibility for adolescents, constructing large‑scale prisons, reinforcing the legal framework for the armed forces, expanding asset‑seizure tools, cracking down on micro‑trafficking, and shaping the government’s stance toward the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP).