Colombia’s president-elect faces alleged assassination plot before taking office

The team of Colombia’s president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella has alleged that guerrilla groups are plotting to assassinate him before he takes office next month.

De la Espriella won last month’s presidential runoff by less than one percentage point and is scheduled to assume office on August 7, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The US-backed millionaire lawyer has pledged to abandon outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s policy of negotiating with armed groups, instead favouring a tougher security crackdown.

De la Espriella’s security team received “intelligence information warning of a possible criminal plan to make an attempt on his life” on July 20, according to a statement.

The statement alleged that Colombia’s largest active armed group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), and dissident groups from the former FARC rebel organisation had offered nearly $1 million to “carry out an attack against the president-elect.”

It also warned of “possible attempts at infiltration” by criminal organisations into De la Espriella’s press conferences and public events.

The president-elect’s team called for an investigation but said he would not change his schedule because of the alleged threats.

Colombia is facing its worst wave of violence in a decade, despite a historic peace agreement that led to the disarmament of the FARC.

Presidential pre-candidate Miguel Uribe was assassinated while campaigning last year.

By Sabina Mammadli