- Colombian prosecutors asked for a charging hearing for Hollman Morris, a journalist and former head of public broadcaster RTVC.
- The Fiscalía, Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office, alleges a violent sexual act in Madrid in December 2011.
- The hearing, an imputación where prosecutors formally state the alleged crime, is set for Tuesday 17 November.
- As of 26 October 2026, 21:30 GMT
A journalist’s complaint, filed in 2019, has reached the point of a formal accusation against a former public-media chief. On Monday 26 October 2026, Colombian prosecutors asked for a hearing to charge Hollman Morris, who once ran the country’s public broadcaster under President Gustavo Petro.
The request came from Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office, known as the Fiscalía General de la Nación. It asks for an imputación, the step at which prosecutors formally tell a suspect which crime they allege, and it is not a conviction.
The Fiscalía alleges a violent sexual act with aggravating circumstances, in Spanish “acto sexual violento en circunstancia de agravación punitiva”. Morris has denied wrongdoing, and this article covers only the case in that filing.
What We Know
Morris headed RTVC, the state system that runs Colombia’s public radio and television, while Petro was president. The charges now requested concern events that the Fiscalía places in December 2011, outside Colombia.
Reports place the alleged acts in Madrid, Spain. The Fiscalía describes them as carried out “sin consentimiento de la víctima, en un contexto propio de violencia basada en género”, meaning without the victim’s consent and in a context of gender-based violence.
The complainant is a Colombian journalist and columnist, and The Rio Times does not name her. She filed her complaint in September 2019.
She alleges that in Madrid, while she sought to interview Morris about his documentary, he grabbed, touched and kissed her without consent. The allegation therefore rests on her account, which a court has not yet tested.
The case has had a troubled path. On 7 October 2022 a prosecutor, Alfonso Bonilla, archived it, ruling the offence was “injuria por vías de hecho”, or injury by physical acts.
Bonilla also ruled that a complaint for that offence had expired after 7 years and 9 months. In plain terms, he found the time limit for pursuing it had run out.
On 20 April 2026 another prosecutor, Marcela Abadía, reopened the file with a gender perspective. She argued that the earlier classification error was itself a form of violence against women.
In Colombia’s system, a charging hearing comes before any trial. It gives the suspect formal notice of the alleged crime and of any aggravating circumstances the prosecutors cite.
Aggravating circumstances are factors that, if proven, can make an offence more serious in law. The Fiscalía cites them in its filing, and no court has yet ruled on that claim.
Morris has denied wrongdoing and has called the accusations a smear campaign. The Rio Times found no new statement from him on Monday’s filing.
A charging hearing is set for Tuesday 17 November 2026. Until a court decides otherwise, Morris is presumed innocent, as is every suspect.
What Is Not Known
Several basic points remain open. It is not yet clear whether Morris will attend the hearing, or which court and judge will hear it.
The plea and any possible penalty are also unknown. It is unclear whether the time-limit question for a 2011 offence, known as the statute of limitations, will be challenged.
That question matters because the 2022 archive rested on an expired time limit. More than seven years separate the 2019 complaint from Monday’s filing.
What It Means for Readers Outside Colombia
Morris once led the public broadcaster of Colombia, a United States ally, under President Gustavo Petro. The filing concerns one alleged incident and one suspect.
RTVC is the state system that runs Colombia’s public radio and television. Morris is now a former head of it.
The case shows how Colombian prosecutors can revisit an old complaint after a new reading of how it was classified. Morris has said the kiss was consensual, a version a court has not yet tested.
For readers abroad, the filing is a legal matter, not a policy announcement. It is an early procedural step, and the next concrete date to watch is Tuesday 17 November 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What has Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office asked for?
On 26 October 2026 it asked for a hearing to formally charge Hollman Morris, former head of public broadcaster RTVC, with a violent sexual act with aggravating circumstances. The alleged events date from December 2011.
What is an imputación?
It is a hearing where prosecutors formally tell a suspect which crime they allege. It is not a trial and not a conviction, and the suspect is presumed innocent.
When is the hearing?
The hearing is set for Tuesday 17 November 2026. It is not yet known which court and judge will hear it, or whether Morris will attend.
What does Morris say?
Morris has denied wrongdoing and has called the accusations a smear campaign. The Rio Times found no new statement from him on Monday’s filing.
Sources: Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office (Fiscalía General de la Nación) statement and hearing request of 26 October 2026; Colombian court and prosecution records on the 2022 archive and April 2026 reopening.
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