A new scandal shakes the government of Gustavo Petro after the leak of audios attributed to Wilmar Mejía, member of the National Intelligence Directorate (DNI) and presidential delegate, which would show alleged pressure on public force officials to obtain sensitive information about senior military commanders.
The case, revealed by El Tiempo, has raised doubts about transparency in promotion processes and institutional stability.
For months, Police and Army officials have expressed their dissatisfaction with the changes in the procedures for promotions, retirements and reinstatements, which now depend directly on the DNI and guidelines from the Casa de Nariño.
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At least five officers declared to the aforementioned media that during the polygraph examinations they were asked directly about active and retired generals, as well as about alleged monitoring of the Petro government. Although the DNI initially denied these practices, the scandal resurfaced with force after Caracol Noticias reported it.
The audios, recorded by DNI personnel and delivered to the media, show a voice identified as Mejía’s discussing strategies to influence military appointments and obtain compromising information about officers.
In one of the fragments you hear: “They informed me that approval from the president is missing for some new appointments that there are, among those Paul Favela, several”. Elsewhere, Mejía raises the possibility of “save the president from the bonfire in which he is so angry” and of “divert attention” with information that benefits the government.
Furthermore, the official urges officers to speak without reservation: “Tell the colonel to talk to me with his pants off, that he is not going to hold anything back, that he tells me everything, that we can benefit mutually from everything he knows.”
The recordings also include warnings about discretion and the importance of not exposing those who collaborate: “The idea is that he can continue and be promoted to colonel. It is that he can continue with his institutional transfer. But if they are going to save him today to hand him over in 3 months, then we did nothing.”
For its part, the DNI denied having carried out pressure or information leakage practices and specified that some of the chats mentioned correspond to dates prior to Mejía’s entry into the entity.
In a second recording, information is requested showing that generals ordered surveillance against the government, specifically mentioning Colonel Julie Katherine Ruiz and Generals Vargas and Naranjo.
The controversy has revived the debate about the influence of the DNI and the Casa de Nariño in the internal processes of the public force, while public opinion awaits clear answers about the authenticity of the audios and institutional responsibilities.
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