Alejandro Ramelli, president of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), said the agency is ready to meet with delegates from President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella.
This outreach follows criticism from De la Espriella regarding the Peace Agreement and the JEP's role in Colombian justice. The tension highlights a potential conflict between the incoming administration's goals and the legal frameworks established to end the country's long-term internal conflict.
Ramelli said that the JEP is prepared to begin the transition process with the incoming government. He said that the institutional framework of the Peace Agreement must be preserved to ensure stability.
To facilitate this, Ramelli offered a technical dialogue to De la Espriella's team. This dialogue is intended to expose the current progress and the remaining challenges of transitional justice in Colombia, Ramelli said.
Addressing the authority of the incoming executive, Ramelli said that the president-elect cannot eliminate the JEP before taking office on Aug. 7 [1]. This assertion underscores the legal protections surrounding the peace process, which operate independently of immediate presidential preference.
"Están listos para iniciar empalme con el Gobierno de Abelardo De La Espriella. Hay que preservar la institucionalidad del Acuerdo de Paz," Ramelli said.
The JEP remains the central judicial component of the 2016 peace deal, tasked with investigating and prosecuting the most serious crimes committed during the conflict. Ramelli said that technical cooperation is the most effective path to ensure the new government understands the complexities of these legal mandates.
"Ofrecemos diálogo técnico al equipo de De la Espriella para exponer avances y retos de la justicia transicional," Ramelli said.
As the transition date approaches, the JEP's leadership aims to secure a commitment to the existing legal architecture. Ramelli said that unilateral dissolution of the body is not a legal option for the president-elect upon his arrival [1].
"El presidente electo no puede llegar el 7 de agosto a eliminar la JEP," Ramelli said.
“The president-elect cannot eliminate the JEP before taking office on Aug. 7.”
The friction between Alejandro Ramelli and Abelardo de la Espriella signals a looming legal and political battle over the durability of Colombia's transitional justice system. If the incoming administration attempts to dismantle the JEP, it could trigger a constitutional crisis and jeopardize the stability of the Peace Agreement, potentially alienating former combatants and victims who rely on the JEP's legal guarantees for reparations and truth-seeking.
