WORLD : Colombia Gets New Justice Minister
BOGOTA, Colombia — After a two-week void, Colombia today had a new justice minister, a risky post at the forefront of the drug trafficking crackdown.
President Virgilio Barco Vargas named Roberto Salazar Manrique to the job Thursday night. The previous justice minister, Monica de Greiff, quit after being threatened by the traffickers, and one of her predecessors was slain.
As he left the presidential palace, Salazar was asked by a reporter if he favors extradition. “If I weren’t for it, I wouldn’t have accepted” the appointment, the anti-drug newspaper El Espectador quoted Salazar as saying.
Not a single major drug trafficker has ever been convicted of the offense in Colombia.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
