Carlos Eduardo Medellín Becerra
Encyclopedia
Carlos Eduardo Medellín Becerra (born 14 September 1962) is a Colombian
lawyer and diplomat and has served as Minister of Justice
of Colombia
and as Ambassador of Colombia to the United Kingdom
.
because of the personal connection to the case, since his father was a fatal victim of the siege, so the Minister of the Interior
, Horacio Serpa Uribe, was named Minister of Justice ad hoc
.
He was ultimately forced to resign on 21 April 1997 because he was an open supporter not only of opening up the debate for an extradition treaty with the United States
, but also of having it implemented retroactively, something both the President and the Minister of the Interior were completely against, and ultimately leading to incompatibility with the Samper administration.
to the Republic of Ireland
, and presented his credential
s to Queen Elizabeth II in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace
on 2 March 2007.
While in office, Guillermo Fernández de Soto
, Colombia's Ambassador to The Netherlands resigned, and President Uribe moved quickly to appoint Medellín as new Ambassador pending his return to Colombia to be sworn in, so on 19 November 2007, Medellín resigned his post and returned to Colombia. His nomination for Ambassador to The Hague
was a matter of great importance, given the case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration
on the sovereignty
claims of Colombia over the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina after Nicaragua
presented a dispute case over the territory, and the President believed Medellín's law background would help Colombia's cause in court. But suddenly, latter that month, Medellín turned down both Ambassadorships, when an article in El Espectador
revealed that Carlos Alberto Gaviria Vélez, older brother of José Obdulio Gaviria Vélez, who was an Advisor to President Uribe, was directly involved with Luis Carlos Molina Yepes, the moneyman involved in planning the assassination of Guillermo Cano Isaza
, Medellín's father-in-law. His resignation was coupled with an earlier one from the Anticorruption Czar, Rodrigo Lara Restrepo, who resigned because José Obdulio Gaviria Vélez had deliberately lied to him about an article published by the Miami based El Nuevo Herald
, where they discussed the death of his father, Rodrigo Lara Bonilla
. The result of the resignations, both linked to the President's advisor, created a political storm in Colombia.
and was held hostage and killed by M-19
militants during the 1985 Palace of Justice siege
. He is married to María José Cano Busquets, daughter of the late Guillermo Cano Isaza
, former editor of El Espectador
. Together they have three children, María José, Adriana, and Carlos.
Colombian people
Colombian people are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in South America called Colombia. Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and are a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians.-Demography:...
lawyer and diplomat and has served as Minister of Justice
Ministry of the Interior and Justice
The Ministry of the Interior and Justice , is the national executive ministry of the Government of Colombia responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice and interior ministries of other countries....
of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and as Ambassador of Colombia to the United Kingdom
Ambassador of Colombia to the United Kingdom
The Ambassador of Colombia to the United Kingdom is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Colombia to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, accredited as Concurrent Non-Resident Ambassador to Ireland....
.
Minister of Justice and Law
Medellín was appointed Minister of Justice and Law of Colombia by President Ernesto Samper Pizano on 11 January 1996, replacing Néstor Humberto Martínez Neira. Not long after, Medellín declared himself impartial to handle a case pertaining to the Palace of Justice siegePalace of Justice siege
The Palace of Justice siege was a 1985 attack against the Supreme Court of Colombia, in which members of the M-19 guerrilla group took over the Palace of Justice in Bogotá, Colombia, and held the Supreme Court hostage, intending to hold a trial against President Belisario Betancur...
because of the personal connection to the case, since his father was a fatal victim of the siege, so the Minister of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior and Justice
The Ministry of the Interior and Justice , is the national executive ministry of the Government of Colombia responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice and interior ministries of other countries....
, Horacio Serpa Uribe, was named Minister of Justice ad hoc
Ad hoc
Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning "for this". It generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalizable, and not intended to be able to be adapted to other purposes. Compare A priori....
.
He was ultimately forced to resign on 21 April 1997 because he was an open supporter not only of opening up the debate for an extradition treaty with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but also of having it implemented retroactively, something both the President and the Minister of the Interior were completely against, and ultimately leading to incompatibility with the Samper administration.
Ambassadorship
On 7 December 2006, Medellín was appointed Ambassador of Colombia to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Concurrent Non-Resident AmbassadorDual accreditation
Dual accreditation is the practice in diplomacy of a country granting two separate responsibilities to a single diplomat. One prominent form of dual accreditation is for a diplomat to serve as the ambassador to two countries concurrently...
to the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, and presented his credential
Credential
A credential is an attestation of qualification, competence, or authority issued to an individual by a third party with a relevant or de facto authority or assumed competence to do so....
s to Queen Elizabeth II in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
on 2 March 2007.
While in office, Guillermo Fernández de Soto
Guillermo Fernández de Soto
Guillermo Roque Fernández de Soto Valderrama is a Colombian lawyer and diplomat, who has served as Secretary General of the Andean Community of Nations, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, and Ambassador of Colombia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands....
, Colombia's Ambassador to The Netherlands resigned, and President Uribe moved quickly to appoint Medellín as new Ambassador pending his return to Colombia to be sworn in, so on 19 November 2007, Medellín resigned his post and returned to Colombia. His nomination for Ambassador to The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
was a matter of great importance, given the case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration
Permanent Court of Arbitration
The Permanent Court of Arbitration , is an international organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands.-History:The court was established in 1899 as one of the acts of the first Hague Peace Conference, which makes it the oldest institution for international dispute resolution.The creation of...
on the sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
claims of Colombia over the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina after Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
presented a dispute case over the territory, and the President believed Medellín's law background would help Colombia's cause in court. But suddenly, latter that month, Medellín turned down both Ambassadorships, when an article in El Espectador
El Espectador
El Espectador is a newspaper with national circulation within Colombia, founded by Fidel Cano Gutiérrez on 22 March 1887 in Medellín and published since 1915 in Bogotá...
revealed that Carlos Alberto Gaviria Vélez, older brother of José Obdulio Gaviria Vélez, who was an Advisor to President Uribe, was directly involved with Luis Carlos Molina Yepes, the moneyman involved in planning the assassination of Guillermo Cano Isaza
Guillermo Cano Isaza
Guillermo Cano Isaza was a Colombian journalist.The editor of the daily El Espectador, he was murdered in front of the paper's offices by two hitmen linked to Colombia's drug cartels...
, Medellín's father-in-law. His resignation was coupled with an earlier one from the Anticorruption Czar, Rodrigo Lara Restrepo, who resigned because José Obdulio Gaviria Vélez had deliberately lied to him about an article published by the Miami based El Nuevo Herald
El Nuevo Herald
El Nuevo Herald is a McClatchy newspaper published daily in Spanish in Miami, Florida, in the United States. El Nuevo Heralds sister paper is The Miami Herald, also produced by the McClatchy Company.-About El Nuevo Herald:...
, where they discussed the death of his father, Rodrigo Lara Bonilla
Rodrigo Lara Bonilla
Rodrigo Lara Bonilla was a Colombian lawyer and politician, who served as Minister of Justice under President Belisario Betancur, and was assassinated by orders of Pablo Escobar because of his work as Minister in prosecuting cocaine traffickers mainly belonging to the Medellín Cartel.Lara's death...
. The result of the resignations, both linked to the President's advisor, created a political storm in Colombia.
Personal life
Carlos Eduardo was born on 14 September 1962 in Bogotá, D.C. to Carlos Medellín Forero and Susana Becerra Álvarez. His father was a Magister in the Supreme Court of ColombiaSupreme Court of Colombia
The Supreme Court of Colombia in Bogotá is the highest judicial body in civil and penal matters and issues of criminal and civil procedure in Colombia...
and was held hostage and killed by M-19
19th of April Movement
The 19th of April Movement or M-19, was a Colombian guerrilla movement. After its demobilization it became a political party, the M-19 Democratic Alliance , or AD/M-19.The M-19 traced its origins to the allegedly fraudulent presidential elections of 19 April 1970...
militants during the 1985 Palace of Justice siege
Palace of Justice siege
The Palace of Justice siege was a 1985 attack against the Supreme Court of Colombia, in which members of the M-19 guerrilla group took over the Palace of Justice in Bogotá, Colombia, and held the Supreme Court hostage, intending to hold a trial against President Belisario Betancur...
. He is married to María José Cano Busquets, daughter of the late Guillermo Cano Isaza
Guillermo Cano Isaza
Guillermo Cano Isaza was a Colombian journalist.The editor of the daily El Espectador, he was murdered in front of the paper's offices by two hitmen linked to Colombia's drug cartels...
, former editor of El Espectador
El Espectador
El Espectador is a newspaper with national circulation within Colombia, founded by Fidel Cano Gutiérrez on 22 March 1887 in Medellín and published since 1915 in Bogotá...
. Together they have three children, María José, Adriana, and Carlos.