# Legislative and judicial developments in Colombia and Peru

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/legislative-and-judicial-developments-in-colombia-and-peru
> Updated: 2026-09-15T21:09:43.000Z. Sources: 20. Developments: 2.

Legislative and judicial developments are unfolding in Colombia and Peru regarding ethics and criminal justice reform.

In Colombia, Senator Iván Cepeda has initiated an ethics inquiry against Senate First Commission President Enrique Gómez, alleging the unauthorized recording of lawmakers. Meanwhile, the government under President Abelardo de la Espriella is developing a ‘Submission Law’ (Ley de Sometimiento) intended to bring members of illegal armed groups to justice without granting political status or impunity.

In Peru, parliamentary ethics inquiries have been launched against Deputy Christian Aranda Vásquez for allegedly disclosing a patient’s medical history on social media, and against Deputy Milagros Santana Vera following a video involving a municipal worker. 

On the judicial front, Minister of Justice Ernesto Álvarez has requested delegated legislative powers from Congress to facilitate a comprehensive reform of the country’s criminal and penitentiary systems. These proposals include revising the Penal and Criminal Procedure Codes and integrating military intelligence into the National Police to combat organized crime. The Ministry also seeks to reclassify extortion as a form of ‘terrorism with lucrative purposes’ to strengthen legal responses.

To address prison overcrowding, the government is evaluating regional infrastructure projects and plans to implement a system that classifies inmates by danger level. This strategy involves moving high-risk leaders to maximum-security facilities while directing low-risk offenders toward rehabilitation programs, such as ‘productive prisons.’ Additionally, the Ministry aims to enhance security through expert-led intelligence within the National Penitentiary Institute (INPE).

## Claims

- The Executive branch intends to request delegated powers from Congress to reform criminal legislation. (corroborated by 4 sources)
- The Minister maintains that both the Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code require reform to fulfill their intended purposes. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- The Ministry of Justice proposes integrating military intelligence services to support the National Police of Peru in fighting crime. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- The Minister supports classifying extortion as terrorism with lucrative purposes. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- Minister Ernesto Álvarez apologized to criminal law specialists for his previous remarks about the Criminal Procedure Code. (corroborated by 2 sources)
- The Ministry has identified three locations for the construction of new prisons to manage inmate populations. (single source)

## Timeline

### 2026-09-15: Peru Ministry of Justice proposes major criminal and prison reforms

Peru's Ministry of Justice proposes deep reforms to criminal and penitentiary laws, including integrating military intelligence to fight organized crime and restructuring the prison system.

18 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ernesto-lvarez-proposes-military-intelligence-and-penal-reforms-in-peru

### 2026-09-15: Legislative ethics inquiries launched in Colombia and Peru

Legislative ethics investigations are underway in Colombia, involving Senator Enrique Gómez, and Peru, involving Deputies Christian Aranda and Milagros Santana Vera.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/legislative-ethics-inquiries-launched-in-colombia-and-peru

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Cite as: Legislative and judicial developments in Colombia and Peru. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/legislative-and-judicial-developments-in-colombia-and-peru