DNI affirms that cooperation with the US remains “completely fluid” despite tensions and points to alleged setup in spy chats.
The head of Colombia’s civilian intelligence agency, Jorge Lemussaid Friday that collaboration with the CIA and other US agencies is “completely fluid” despite the tensions between the presidents of the two countries.
In an interview with AFP, the head of the National Intelligence Directorate (DNI) stated that collaboration remains “exactly the same” despite the sanctions imposed by Donald Trump’s government on leftist President Gustavo Petro.
He also rated as a “mounting” the chats published in a recent investigation by Caracol Televisión, which suggest links between senior Colombian officials and a guerrilla leader.
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In the midst of the largest espionage scandal in the Petro government, Lemus said that in the conversations between dissidents revealed there are indications of a “setup,” but He denied that the CIA leaked that information to the media as the Colombian president had initially suggested.
Cooperation with the US
Decades-long close security cooperation between Colombia and the United States was disrupted last month when Washington imposed sanctions on President Gustavo Petro and accused him of aiding drug traffickers.
Petro harshly criticized the US missile attacks against boats in the Caribbean manned according to that country by alleged drug traffickers and warned that Colombia would no longer share intelligence with that country.
But he exchange of information between both nations continues as usualaccording to Lemus. “They are collaborating with us a lot. So are we.”
“Not only with the CIA. With all the intelligence agencies of the United States, (communication) is completely fluid,” he said.
“After all, we are all fighting against drug trafficking“he noted.
He added that this year Colombia has destroyed nearly 10,000 cocaine laboratories. “Many times in conjunction with them, hand in hand” with the United States, he indicated.
Petro insisted that during his government there have been record drug seizureswhich is why he considers the US sanctions unfair.
Alleged “assembly”
Dozens of documents known last Sunday point to the General Miguel Huertas and DNI official Wilmar Mejía to exchange sensitive information with the rebel leader known as “Calarcá” to allow you to evade controls. The information is investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office.
The data was extracted from phones and devices confiscated in July 2024, when alias Calarcá and other dissidents were temporarily detained and later released due to their status as peace negotiators.
According to Caracol, Calarcá’s conversations reveal leaks from Mejía to the guerrilla to evade Huertas’ controls and plans to create a security company that would allow the rebels to travel in armored vehicles and legally carry weapons.
On Friday, leaders of the Calarcá faction, separated from the historic peace agreement with the FARC in 2016, rejected the report in a statement and described it as an “hoax” manufactured at the gates of the elections to choose Petro’s successor.
The president also called the content of the report “false” and pointed to the CIA as responsible for the leak.
Lemus defended the thesis of the montage, but ruled out that the CIA was involved. Petro, he said, “perhaps received wrong information.”
“More is coming from national politics”he accused. “Many people are uncomfortable with us. They are seeing where they are removing us (from power),” emphasized the Colombian leader.
