Colombia's three highest courts confront President Petro over pension decree
Primary region South America
Tags Justice · Policy · Corruption
Regions South America
Colombia's three highest courts — the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court of Justice, and Council of State — jointly demanded that President Gustavo Petro respect their decisions and comply with the constitutional separation of powers. The confrontation began when the Council of State provisionally suspended Decree 415, which would transfer 25 trillion pesos (US$6.6 billion) from private pension funds to the public entity Colpensiones. Petro accused the Council of State of favoring bankers' interests and used social media to campaign for a constituent assembly. The Supreme Court and Constitutional Court issued strong warnings about Petro's attacks on judicial independence.
Strategic interpretation
The unprecedented joint stance by all three high courts signals an institutional counteroffensive against Petro's attempts to bypass judicial oversight through decrees and social media campaigns. Petro's push for a constituent assembly in the final months of his term suggests he views institutional reform as his legacy project, but the courts' unified resistance makes success unlikely.