Salvatore Mancuso, a former commander of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), accused the government of then-President Gustavo Petro of pressuring former paramilitary leaders to make accusations against former President Alvaro Uribe, current President Abelardo de la Espriella, and former Vice President German Vargas Lleras, who died recently, allegedly to influence the political landscape.
The allegations concern a meeting held in Valledupar in October 2025, convened to address outstanding issues in the 2006 paramilitary demobilization process.
Mancuso made the accusations on Monday, October 19, after allegations emerged about the circumstances surrounding the meeting. According to his account, government representatives proposed that the former paramilitary commanders make statements against those political figures, a proposal he said was rejected by those in attendance.
Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office summoned the former paramilitary leader to testify about the events on Tuesday, while Petro responded to the controversy by publishing the meeting minutes and defending the gathering’s original purpose.
Clashing accusations over an alleged Petro–ex-paramilitary conspiracy
In a video circulated on social media, Mancuso explained that the Valledupar meeting had been intended to review outstanding issues in the peace process with paramilitary groups and move toward fulfilling the commitments made during the AUC’s demobilization.
However, according to his account, the meeting took a different turn when government representatives asked the former commanders to make accusations against Uribe, De la Espriella, and Vargas Lleras.
Mancuso identified Angie Rodriguez, then director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency (DAPRE) and now openly at odds with former President Petro, and presidential adviser Víctor de Currea-Lugo as the individuals who allegedly conveyed the request.
According to the former paramilitary leader, who made the statements after Rodríguez herself reported the alleged events, the aim was to get former members of the self-defense forces to speak publicly against the three politicians and provide information that could implicate them.
“Delegates from the Petro government asked us to […] accuse three men to win an election: Uribe, De la Espriella, and Vargas Lleras. None of us agreed,” the once-feared paramilitary commander said in a video released Monday.
Mancuso maintained that he himself had initiated the meeting a year earlier to review the two decades since his demobilization and bring the process to a close through an effort focused on “truth and reparation.” The former paramilitary leader acknowledged that the government’s alleged proposal angered those in attendance and derailed the meeting’s original purpose.
To bolster his allegations, Mancuso pointed to what followed the meeting: “There were no interviews or statements,” he said, arguing that this demonstrated the tension he claimed the former paramilitaries felt at the time. Mancuso ultimately stated, “If the Attorney General’s Office calls me, I’ll go”—a commitment that was acted upon Tuesday.
The former paramilitary commander stressed that Petro never personally ordered him to make the accusations. He therefore distinguished between the alleged request made by government representatives and any potential responsibility on the part of the then-president, which must be established through an investigation.
The statements carry particular weight given the political context in which they were made. Uribe served as Colombia’s president from 2002 to 2010, De la Espriella is the country’s current head of state, and Vargas Lleras served as vice president under President Juan Manuel Santos.
Frente a las afirmaciones de Angie Rodríguez, aclaro la realidad de lo sucedido en Valledupar.
El compromiso con las víctimas y con Ralito no se negocia ni se subordina a intereses políticos.
#JusticiaTransicional #Comunicado #ColombiaNoticias #JusticiaYPaz https://t.co/9UoO78MfRB
— Salvatore Mancuso (@MancusoSalvat) October 19, 2026
Prosecutors summon Mancuso to testify
Prosecutors summoned Mancuso on Tuesday to testify about the alleged pressure tactics that have been reported. The proceeding will allow investigators to formally record his account of the events and examine the circumstances surrounding the meeting in Valledupar.
The controversy intensified after Angie Rodriguez, who later left her position at the presidency and is now a staunch critic of the Petro government, presented her own account of the meeting.
Mancuso’s statements and testimony from other participants will be key to establishing exactly what was requested, who conveyed the instructions, and whether any wrongdoing occurred.
The investigation must also determine whether the alleged requests stemmed from individual officials’ initiatives or were authorized by higher levels of government. For now, the allegations alone do not establish that Petro ordered former paramilitaries to be pressured.
The case raises questions about the limits of communication between the state and former members of armed groups, particularly when discussions related to transitional justice overlap with political disputes.
Petro releases meeting minutes and defends the Ralito Agreement
Petro responded to the allegations by releasing the minutes of the Valledupar meeting. In a comment posted on social media Tuesday, he said the meeting “sought to bring the Ralito agreement to a close,” referring to the process that led to the demobilization of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) 20 years ago, during Alvaro Uribe’s administration.
The Santa Fe de Ralito agreement, signed in 2003, marked the beginning of negotiations between the Uribe administration and paramilitary groups. The process led to the demobilization of thousands of combatants, although unresolved issues remained regarding accountability for crimes, reparations for victims, illicit assets, and the reintegration of former paramilitaries.
By releasing the minutes, Petro argued that the meeting was intended to resolve outstanding issues stemming from that historic process. The official document provides information for examining the meeting’s stated purpose, although it does not necessarily settle the conflicting accounts of the discussions that took place.
“This is the statement issued and signed at the official meeting with the paramilitaries. It sought to bring the Ralito process to a close to ensure the return of all paramilitary assets to the victims, complete the truth about those who financed them, and guarantee legal certainty in accordance with restorative justice,” the former president said, offering no further comment.
Este es el comunicado que salio de la reunión oficial con los paramilitares y que se firmó.
Buscaba cerrar el proceso de ralito para garantizar la devolución de todos loa bienes de los paramilitares a las víctimas, completar la verdad sobre financiadores y garantizar seguridad jurídica de acuerdo a la justicia restaurativa.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 20, 2026