COLOMBIA · JUSTICE
Key Facts
- The country Colombia, a key US partner in South America on security and trade, is led by President Abelardo de la Espriella.
- What happened Prosecutors sent the murder file of senator Miguel Uribe Turbay to the Supreme Court to examine lawmakers’ possible links.
- The date The referral was ordered on Tuesday 20 October 2026, and the Court president confirmed receipt on Wednesday 21 October.
- Who decides The Supreme Court’s Special Investigation Chamber, which handles members of Congress, now decides whether to open a formal inquiry.
- The accusation The senator’s widow, María Claudia Tarazona, says the order came from Congress and the money from Venezuela, claims that remain unproven.
- The denial Former lawmakers of the Comunes party, created by the demobilised FARC guerrillas, reject the claims and call them false.
- Power Index Colombia ranks 6th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 51.9 points (October 2026 edition).
The Colombia Supreme Court has received a prosecutors’ file on possible links between members of Congress and the murder of senator Miguel Uribe Turbay. Prosecutors ordered the referral on Tuesday 20 October 2026, El Nacional, El Heraldo and El País Cali reported.
Uribe Turbay was a senator and presidential hopeful shot at a rally in Bogotá in June 2025, and his death shook the country. Colombia is one of Washington’s closest partners in Latin America, so a political-violence case that reaches into Congress matters abroad.
What the Colombia Supreme Court Received
The Fiscalía, as Colombia’s prosecutor’s office is known, ordered a compulsa de copias on Tuesday 20 October for the Colombia Supreme Court. That is a formal referral of case copies to another authority so it can decide whether to investigate.
Deicy Jaramillo Rivera, the prosecutor in charge of territorial security, confirmed the step in a letter dated Wednesday 21 October to Justice Minister Iván Cancino. The letter answered a request the ministry sent on Monday 19 October, Publimetro reported.
The Constitution gives members of Congress a special court, which is why the file went to the Supreme Court and not to an ordinary judge. Prosecutors cite articles 186 and 235 of the Constitution, which govern cases against officials with that special status, Publimetro reported.
Court President Confirms the Referral
Iván Mauricio Lenis Gómez, president of the Supreme Court, confirmed that the papers arrived at the Court’s Special Investigation Chamber. He said the case fell to magistrate Patricia Hernández Zamudio, El Heraldo reported.
Lenis said the Court must wait for the proceedings to advance before more is clear. He added that the magistrate will probably issue some orders in the process, according to El País Cali.
Lenis also said the identities of those involved are confidential for now. A referral is not a charge and does not establish anyone’s guilt, El Colombiano noted.
What the Widow Alleges
María Claudia Tarazona, the senator’s widow, told Blu Radio that an unidentified person received information that the order to attack her husband came from Congress. She said the money came from Venezuela, and that the information dates from April 2025, two months before the shooting, El Nacional reported.
El Colombiano reported that the referral rests on chat messages the widow handed over to prosecutors. The Fiscalía says it is still checking the sources, the authenticity and the origin of those communications.
The widow presents these claims as information she received from others, and no evidence has been made public. Her statements, first made on 14 October, set off the chain that led to the referral of 20 October.
Comunes Rejects the Accusations
Comunes is the party born from the demobilised FARC, the guerrilla army that signed a peace deal with the state in 2016. Several media outlets link the widow’s claims to former Comunes lawmakers, while the Fiscalía’s letter does not name anyone, Publimetro reported.
Six former Comunes members of Congress rejected the accusations, calling them part of a campaign of attacks and false claims, El Nacional reported. They also noted that the party has no sitting members in Congress today.
Lawyers for those named say there is no evidence tying their clients to the killing, Publimetro reported. No authority has said any former lawmaker took part.
Where the Murder Case Stands
Uribe Turbay was shot at a political event in the Modelia district of Bogotá on 7 June 2025 and died on 11 August 2025. Nine people have been captured and four convicted, including the teenager who fired the shots, according to El Nacional.
One convicted man, alias El Viejo, testified at trial that the group that ordered the attack was the Segunda Marquetalia. That is a faction of FARC dissidents that rejected the 2016 peace deal and is led by the fugitive Iván Márquez, NTN24 noted.
On 15 October, NTN24 reported that no formal complaint from prosecutors had reached the Colombia Supreme Court. Three sources told the channel that the Court’s chamber had not moved on its own either.
What It Means for US Readers
Colombia is a major US ally on security, drug policy and trade. A case asking whether elected officials helped plan a political killing tests the institutions that US investors and officials rely on.
The claim that money came from Venezuela touches a sensitive point in US policy toward the region. No coverage of the referral names a US agency or reports a US reaction.
The Colombia Supreme Court has set no timetable, so investors should expect a slow legal process rather than a sudden shock. For the bilateral picture, see Rio Times coverage of Colombia’s tariff talks with the US.
What Is Not Known
The Fiscalía has not named any lawmaker, and no outlet names a sitting member of Congress. It is also unclear whether the Colombia Supreme Court will open a formal investigation or how many people it might cover.
No deadline exists for the Colombia Supreme Court’s decision. The prosecutors’ technical review of the chat messages is also still under way, and its findings are under legal reserve.
Whether a money trail to Venezuela exists is open, and so is who gave the order to kill the senator. The widow’s earlier statement on 14 October rests on an anonymous source, and the Fiscalía has not confirmed it.
More: Colombia news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Colombian prosecutors send to the Supreme Court?
Prosecutors sent copies of the murder file of senator Miguel Uribe Turbay to the Colombia Supreme Court’s Special Investigation Chamber. The referral was ordered on Tuesday 20 October 2026 and asks the Court to examine possible links of lawmakers to the crime.
Does the referral mean lawmakers are charged?
No, a referral is not a charge and does not prove guilt. The Court must now decide whether the information justifies a formal investigation.
Why does the Supreme Court handle this?
Members of Congress have a special legal status in Colombia, so only the Colombia Supreme Court can investigate them. That is why prosecutors passed the file up instead of acting alone.
Who was Miguel Uribe Turbay?
He was a Colombian senator and presidential hopeful who was shot at a rally in Bogotá on 7 June 2025. He died on 11 August 2025.
What does Comunes say about the accusations?
Six former Comunes members of Congress rejected the claims and called them a campaign of false accusations. They note that the party has no sitting lawmakers in Congress.
Is Colombia still safe for US visitors and investors?
The case concerns a political killing from 2025, and none of the coverage links it to any threat against visitors or businesses. Travellers should still check the current US State Department advisory for Colombia.
Sources: El Nacional, 22 October 2026; El Heraldo, 21 October 2026; El País Cali, 22 October 2026; El Colombiano, 21 October 2026; Publimetro Colombia, 21 October 2026; NTN24, 15 October 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