BOGOTA: Colombia鈥檚 Supreme Court on Tuesday indicted the country鈥檚 ambassador to Nicaragua for drug trafficking, six years after he was arrested with nearly 350 grams (about 12 ounces) of cocaine in a suitcase.
Leon Fredy Munoz has been under investigation since police found the drugs on him at the Medellin airport in May 2018, according to prosecutors.
Munoz claims the drugs were planted by political rivals.
He was freed several days after his initial arrest six years ago, and then served in Congress before being appointed ambassador to Managua in 2022, a position he still holds.
His indictment comes amid a political spat between the two countries.
Nicaragua鈥檚 President Daniel Ortega lashed out Monday against his Colombian and Brazilian counterparts for refusing to recognize Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro鈥檚 claim to a reelection victory, disputed by the opposition and much of the international community.
Colombia鈥檚 Gustavo Petro hit back on X, saying: 鈥淎t least I don鈥檛 trample on the human rights of the people in my country.鈥�
A press advocacy group said Tuesday Nicaragua had seen a 鈥渄ramatic increase鈥� in the persecution of journalists, reflecting a wider trend of harassment of government critics under Ortega鈥檚 presidency.