Colombia’s Justice Minister Is Said to Quit; Bombs Hit Political Offices

Justice Minister Monica de Greiff, who traveled to the United States to seek protection for judges under death threats from Colombian drug lords, resigned Thursday after less than three months on the job, a radio chain reported.

De Greiff, a 32-year-old lawyer, has been threatened with death since she signed an extradition order that brought accused drug money launderer Eduardo Martinez Romero to Atlanta on Sept. 6 to face U.S. charges.

The report by Radio Caracol could not be confirmed late Thursday at either the presidential palace or the Justice Ministry. Her resignation has been rumored almost since she took the post July 16.

Radio Caracol, citing unidentified sources, said she handed a letter of resignation to President Virgilio Barco Vargas, who offered her the ambassadorial post in Portugal.

Official confirmation has to be made by Barco, the presidential palace said. The press office at the palace neither denied nor confirmed the report.

De Greiff traveled to Washington in August amid a series of reports that she had resigned. But she repeatedly denied those reports.

In Washington, she met with U.S. government officials and won a pledge of $19 million to provide security for the hundreds of Colombian judges under death threats from drug traffickers.

Reports say that she left her 3-year-old son in the United States because he was also threatened by death.

Earlier Thursday, bombs went off in nine offices of Colombia’s two main political parties, the ruling Liberals and the opposition Conservatives. A 10th bomb damaged a savings and loan bank. Two people were injured in the blasts.

In another development, newspapers published the names of 25 lawmakers and other politicians they said have recently been refused visas to enter the United States. The publication followed days of rumors that Washington has a list of Colombian officials on the payroll of drug traffickers and that the Bogota government has a list of politicians, journalists, army and police officials who are allegedly spying for the drug cartels.

During debate in Colombia’s Congress this week, senators demanded that the government make its list public, but President Barco denied that such a list exists.

Foreign Minister Julio Londono Paredes said he will ask Washington for any list it may have made.

The U.S. Embassy here refused to comment on the list.