The United States and Colombia Meet to Discuss Extradition and Legal Assistance Matters

Representatives from the Office of International Affairs and the Judicial Attaché Office of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division; the U.S. Department of State; and the Attorney General of the Republic of Colombia, Mr. Fabio Espitia Garzón; the Minister of Justice, Ms. Margarita Cabello Blanco; and representatives from Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs are meeting in Cartagena, Colombia this week for a consultations meeting on extradition and legal assistance matters between Colombia and the United States.

This meeting is a mechanism whose purpose is to address judicial cooperation in criminal matters, expedite proceedings between both countries in extradition and legal assistance matters, share good practices and experiences, hold working group sessions, and have a direct dialogue regarding the challenges imposed by the joint work in the fight against transnational organized crime.

Similarly, issues related to criminal finances, tools to economically dismantle organizations devoted to organized crime, and asset sharing and forfeiture will be addressed.

The Colombian State is also represented by the Directors from the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic of Colombia, including the Director of the International Affairs Office; the Delegate against Organized Crime; the Delegate for Criminal Finances; the Special Director of Extinction of Domain and Asset Forfeiture;  the Vice-Minister of Justice and Law, Juan Francisco Espinosa Palacios; and the Directors of International Affairs and Transitional Justice from the Ministry of Justice. 

Advisers from the Directorate of International Legal Affairs and the Directorate of Migration, Consular Affairs and Citizen Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia also will participate.

There have been three previous similar meetings: the first two held in 2016 and 2017 in Bogotá, Colombia, and the last one held in 2018 in Washington, DC.