Colombia DNI Scandal: Semana Says Spies Targeted Investigators of Petro’s Son
POLITICS · COLOMBIA
Key Facts
- —The country Colombia, where right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella succeeded leftist Gustavo Petro on 7 August 2026. He ordered a forensic audit of the DNI, the national intelligence agency.
- —What happened On Sunday 4 October, the magazine Semana reported “Operation Orion”. It alleges the DNI helped target investigators in the case of Petro’s son, Nicolás Petro.
- —Who is involved Former Fiscalía investigator Víctor Forero says he reported Orion on 23 November 2023. He names former deputy attorney general Martha Mancera and three colleagues among those profiled, Semana reported.
- —What it means for you Nothing changes day to day for residents, visitors or investors. The case deepens the feud between Colombia’s new government and its predecessor.
- —Still open As of Sunday evening, no response from Petro, his former DNI chiefs or the agency had been reported. No court has tested any of the claims.
The Colombia DNI scandal widened on Sunday 4 October 2026, when the magazine Semana published a second set of allegations. It says the National Intelligence Directorate (DNI) helped target investigators of Nicolás Petro, the former president’s son.
Semana calls the case Operation Orion and presents it as further proof that the DNI became a “political police” under Gustavo Petro. None of the claims has been tested in court.
What Semana Reported on Sunday
The new piece centres on Víctor Forero, formerly a lead investigator at the Fiscalía, Colombia’s prosecution service. He worked on the case against Nicolás Petro for money laundering and illicit enrichment.
In a letter published by Semana, Forero says he first reported an operation called Orion on 23 November 2023. In his account, it aimed to spy on, discredit and intercept officials, journalists and opposition politicians.
According to Semana, Forero told prosecutors that the DNI, the UIAF financial intelligence unit, the police and the army were used. He also alleged that serving and retired officers took part.
He ties the surveillance to his work on the Petro case. In the letter, he says it began after Nicolás Petro stopped cooperating with prosecutors.
Who Says They Were Watched
Forero said those profiled included Fiscalía staff: former deputy attorney general Martha Mancera, Luisa Obando, Mario Burgos, Daniel Hernández and himself. Several are now registered as victims in the case, Semana reported.
He set out his fears in a letter to Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo, which went unanswered, according to the magazine. Semana says a criminal inquiry is open but has barely advanced.
Mancera also appeared on the list of alleged targets in Semana’s cover story. That list includes former presidents Álvaro Uribe and Iván Duque and the journalist Vicky Dávila.
The Audit Behind the Cover
Both reports build on a forensic audit of the DNI ordered by De la Espriella. Semana says auditors examined 147 terabytes of data, 40 computers and five phones and tablets.
El Colombiano, citing Semana, reported that the findings will be sent to the Fiscalía. Former attorney general Francisco Barbosa has already announced a complaint, as Colombia’s Barbosa Alleges Petro-Era Spying on Him reported.
A central point is Decree 1077 of 23 August 2024, which reshaped the DNI’s counterintelligence branch. Sources quoted by Semana call a closed group set up in that branch a “black hole” with few controls.
The DNI has said the decree was an internal reorganisation that did not change its legal functions, El Colombiano noted. That is the main official counterpoint on record so far.
Semana also reports reserved spending of COP 7–10 billion (about US$2.1–3.0 million) a year, peaking in 2025. Conversions use COP 3,312 per US dollar, the 2 October close.
The audit flags at least COP 350 million (about US$106,000) spent on missions outside the counterintelligence remit, the magazine said. It also cites a suspected presence of Russian, Iranian, Cuban and Venezuelan intelligence agents.
Reactions So Far
Former senator David Luna said on Sunday that he had questioned then-DNI director Carlos Ramón González in Congress about such practices. “Carlos Ramón González denied everything under oath,” Luna said, according to Semana.
No public reply from Petro, González or the DNI to the Orion account had been reported by Sunday evening. The audit was ordered by Petro’s political opponent, and everyone named is presumed innocent.
The Colombia DNI scandal echoes an older one. The DNI was created in 2011 to replace the DAS, which was dissolved after spying on judges, journalists and opponents.
What Is Not Yet Known
It is unclear whether the full Colombia DNI audit will be made public, or whether the Fiscalía will speed up its Orion inquiry. Who ordered any surveillance has not been established.
The process now runs through prosecutors and courts rather than magazine covers. Barbosa’s complaint, due on Monday 5 October, is the next formal step.
Sources: Semana (Operation Orion, 4 Oct 2026); Semana (audit cover findings, 4 Oct 2026); Semana (David Luna, 4 Oct 2026); El Colombiano (3 Oct 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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