A Colombian army general and a senior intelligence officer were suspended Thursday amid allegations they leaked sensitive information to a guerrilla commander, the attorney general’s office told AFP.
Colombian broadcaster Caracol TV reported Sunday that messages and documents appear to show General Juan Manuel Huertas and National Intelligence Directorate official Wilmar Mejía providing inside information to a rebel leader known as Calarcá, enabling him to evade security checks and obtain weapons. Calarcá heads a dissident faction of the former FARC rebel movement that rejected the 2016 peace deal and is now engaged in talks with President Gustavo Petro’s government.
A source in the attorney general’s office said both officials were suspended by an oversight body responsible for monitoring public servants. The allegations stem from intelligence recovered from phones and devices seized in July 2024 when Calarcá and other dissidents were briefly detained before being released as part of the ongoing peace process.
According to Caracol, the dissidents allegedly worked with Huertas and Mejía to create a front security company that allowed them to move freely in armored vehicles and transport weapons under the cover of legitimacy.
President Petro has questioned the report’s credibility, suggesting Monday that the information originated from the CIA under former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. Both Huertas and Mejía deny wrongdoing and are under investigation by the attorney general’s office and the defense ministry.
