Justice Chief Not Quitting in Colombia : Paper Says De Greiff Drafted Resignation Letter, Didn’t Send It

Colombian Justice Minister Monica de Greiff drafted a resignation letter after repeatedly receiving death threats from drug traffickers but decided not to submit it, the country’s largest newspaper said today.

El Tiempo, in the latest of conflicting media reports about De Greiff, said the last warning on the eve of her departure to the United States on Friday was from a man who called her ministry and said, “Definitely you will be the next.”

De Greiff, 32, who took over in July as Colombia’s eighth justice minister in three years, is in Washington discussing U.S. support for the government’s assault on the drug trade, started Aug. 18 after a spate of assassinations of officials.

U.S. Told She Hasn’t Resigned

The United States said today it had been assured that the minister, in the forefront of President Virgilio Barco Vargas’ operation against the cocaine barons, had not resigned.

“Our contact through the embassy with President Barco indicates that President Barco has denied that she has resigned,” White House spokesman Roman Popadiuk told reporters.

A presidential palace spokesman confirmed De Greiff had received death threats last week. El Tiempo said she left for Washington three days earlier than scheduled after receiving death threats for six days.

On Sunday night Barco denied “reports related to the resignation” of De Greiff. However, his statement did not explicitly say whether he was referring to reports she had submitted her resignation or the possibility of her stepping down.

De Greiff went to Washington with her husband and 3-year-old son for a trip of about 12 days and planned to return to Bogota by Sept. 7, a Justice Ministry spokeswoman said.

El Tiempo said it was unknown if De Greiff and her family would return to the country or remain indefinitely in the United States under protection of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Predecessor Assassinated

One of De Greiff’s predecessors, Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, was assassinated April 30, 1984, apparently on orders from the drug Mafia. The killing led to the immediate declaration of a state of siege, which is still in force.

De Greiff sits on the National Council of Narcotics, which is empowered to order the extradition of traffickers. The most important element of Barco’s emergency decree of Aug. 18 was the reinstitution of an extradition agreement with the United States, suspended two years ago.