International
Colombian Foreign Ministry calls ambassador to FAO Armando Benedetti for prosecution for sexist aggression
The Colombian Foreign Ministry called the country to the ambassador to the FAO, Armando Benedetti, to open a disciplinary process after his wife, Adelina Guerrero, denounced that she was the victim of an alleged sexist assault during a trip to Madrid.
Benedetti will have to present himself “in the term of the distance,” a figure provided for in the Law of Administrative Procedure taking into account that he resides in Rome, headquarters of the FAO, an official source told EFE on Tuesday.
According to Guerrero’s complaint, confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the aggression occurred on June 30 in the Spanish capital.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it was notified of the situation by the embassy in Spain, which is why it activated “the official mechanisms to know what happened and initiate the corresponding protocol.”
“This case is in the knowledge of our disciplinary internal control office, and when we have results we will act in accordance with the law,” said the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which later decided to call the ambassador.
According to the Blu Radio station, the Spanish authorities were informed of a possible verbal assault by Benedetti against his wife in a private residence in Madrid that “may have escalated to a physical assault, although witnesses present prevented this from happening.”
The radio pointed out that when the police arrived at the scene, the ambassador invoked his diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested, but the police opened a file for Guerrero’s complaint before a special unit of cases of gender violence.
The Diplomatic and Consular Association of Colombia expressed in a statement its “refeal” of these facts and deeply regretted that an incident of a family and personal nature has become a state problem due to the possible misuse of diplomatic immunity to evade responsibilities” by Benedetti.
“These acts are unacceptable and even more so when it comes to senior State officials who carry the representation of Colombians and must maintain the good name of our country,” said the Diplomatic and Consular Association.
The entity recalled “that feminist politics” and “gender equality” govern the country’s foreign policy and therefore, “the negative impact on Colombia’s international image is regrettable.”
“We emphasize that the chancellery has opened an investigation and we will be attentive to the delivery of the timely and forceful results that condemn the acts of mistreatment of women, ensuring that those responsible face the consequences of their actions because the State must have zero tolerance for such facts,” adds the statement of the Diplomatic Association.
Benedetti, for his part, said in his X account that “what has been said about an alleged aggression is not true and does not conform to the fact in Spain.”
“The truth will be proven in the Spanish court. At this moment I am in the middle of a divorce process that responds to the private and family sphere and, for the sake of my children, I will be cautious,” he added.
Armando Benedetti was one of the greatest supporters of the Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, during his electoral campaign and that is why he was appointed ambassador in Caracas in September 2022 but resigned in June last year when he was involved in a scandal of illegal eavesdropping in the presidential cabinet.
In a verbal confrontation with Laura Sarabia, then Petro’s chief of staff and current director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency (Dapre), Benedetti threatened to reveal compromising information about the financing of the presidential campaign.
After the resignation from the embassy in Caracas and the threats to Sarabia, the then Colombian foreign minister, Álvaro Leyva, said that Benedetti lacked credibility for being a “drug addict.”
However, in February of this year, Benedetti was appointed ambassador to FAO, for which the Government reopened that mission that had been closed since 1999, a designation that was denounced by the Diplomatic Association “for alleged irregularities that contravene the principles of our organization.”
Benedetti has four court cases open, one of them an investigation into the possible illegal financing of Petro’s campaign.
International
Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
A Dominican court on Monday postponed until March a preliminary hearing against the owners of a nightclub that collapsed last year, killing more than 200 people.
The roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed in the early hours of April 8, 2025, during a concert by popular merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who died along with 235 other people.
Jet Set owner and manager Antonio Espaillat and his sister Maribel, who served as the club’s administrator, were arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter but were later released on bail after posting approximately $842,500.
Both appeared at the Palace of Justice, where they were met by a small protest from relatives and friends of the victims.
“Thirty years in prison is not enough” and “President, we want JUSTICE,” read signs held by demonstrators.
The preliminary hearing determines whether there is sufficient evidence to send the case to trial. The court decided to reschedule the hearing for March 16.
“We don’t want money and we’re not demanding anything else, only justice for those who died,” said Secundino Pérez, a 75-year-old shopkeeper who lost 12 friends in the Jet Set tragedy.
“Antonio and his family celebrated Christmas sitting at a table, celebrating their freedom,” said Edgar Gómez, who lost his daughter in the collapse.
The Dominican Republic’s Public Prosecutor’s Office maintains that the defendants “significantly altered” the structure of the nightclub. Prosecutors filed formal charges in November and requested that the case proceed to trial.
The charge of involuntary manslaughter carries a sentence of three months to two years in prison.
“May your conscience never let you sleep. I lost my son,” a woman shouted through tears before the hearing, while others chanted, “Murderers, murderers, murderers.”
International
Venezuelan opposition leader dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that he was “eager” to welcome the opposition leader, who left Venezuela clandestinely with U.S. assistance, to receive her Nobel Prize in Oslo.
Machado dedicated her Nobel Prize to Trump, who nevertheless showed a very cautious attitude toward including her in any potential political transition in Venezuela.
The opposition leader said on Monday, after an audience with Pope Leo XIV, that “the defeat of evil is closer” in Venezuela following the U.S. military operation that overthrew and removed President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from the country.
Trump has claimed that he is now in control of the South American nation, stating that the primary objective at this stage is to stabilize the country before considering elections.
Venezuelan oil is Washington’s main objective, Trump added after Maduro’s overthrow.
International
Police hunt gunmen after fatal shooting in Corsica
A man was shot dead on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, local media reported. The victim was identified as Alain Orsoni, former president of local football club AC Ajaccio, according to sources close to the investigation cited by French news channel BFMTV.
Orsoni, 71, was killed in the town of Vero, near Ajaccio, the island’s capital, while attending his mother’s funeral.
He was also a former member of the National Liberation Front of Corsica (FLNC), a nationalist organization that has long sought independence for the island, reports said.
BFMTV reported that the gunmen fled the scene and remain at large. Local police have opened an investigation into the shooting.
Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
Venezuelan opposition leader dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump
Police hunt gunmen after fatal shooting in Corsica
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