Prosecutor Marcelo Pecci is killed in Colombia 2:23
(CNN Spanish) ––
The murder of Marcelo Pecci, Paraguayan anti-corruption prosecutor, when he was on his honeymoon on a beach in Colombia, has sparked international outrage.
The authorities join efforts to clarify the crime and find those responsible.
On the morning of this Tuesday, the general director of the Colombian National Police, Jorge Luis Vargas, published the spoken portrait of a man whom local authorities identify as one of the alleged perpetrators of the homicide.
Through a tweet, Vargas asked the public for their collaboration to identify the suspect, in addition to promising "absolute confidentiality" to those who contact the Police with information.
He was also offered a reward of approximately US$500,000 (about 2,000 million Colombian pesos).
The crime of Marcelo Pecci
Marcelo Pecci, prosecutor of the Specialized Unit for the Fight against Drug Trafficking in Paraguay.
Stock image.
(Credit: Public Ministry of Paraguay).
Pecci was on Barú Island, near Cartagena, along with his wife, journalist Claudia Aguilera, when two subjects got off a jet ski and shot him, Paraguayan Interior Minister Federico González told CNN on Tuesday. .
González confirmed to CNN that Pecci's wife was a witness to the event but that she is in good condition and at that time was attended by members of the Paraguayan embassy in Colombia.
The minister also mentioned that the investigation is ongoing.
Marcelo Pecci, specialized prosecutor against drug trafficking in Paraguay, is killed in Colombia
For its part, the Decameron hotel chain where the couple was staying confirmed in a statement that some subjects arrived on jet skis and shot Pecci.
The hotel chain repudiated the facts and said that despite the fact that one of its security guards was present during the shooting, he was not injured.
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On Tuesday afternoon, Colombia's attorney general, Francisco Barbosa, reported that he had sent "expert investigators in hitman-type homicides" to investigate the crime.
The Public Ministry of Paraguay and the State Attorney General indicated in a statement on Tuesday that the Attorney General's Office "has taken action to provide containment and assistance to our colleague's wife, and the pertinent contacts have been made with the local authorities, in order to assist in everything necessary for their safety and that of the family".
"A Cowardly Murder"
The president of Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez, described the assassination of prosecutor Pecci as a "cowardly murder".
And he assured in his message that Paraguay will redouble "its commitment to fight against organized crime."
In addition, he sent condolences to the relatives of the prosecutor.
Reactions to the murder of Paraguayan prosecutor Marcelo Pecci on a beach in Colombia
The cowardly murder of prosecutor Marcelo Pecci in Colombia mourns the entire Paraguayan Nation.
We condemn this tragic event in the strongest terms and redouble our commitment to fight against organized crime.
Our sincere condolences to his family.
– Marito Abdo (@MaritoAbdo) May 10, 2022
For his part, President Iván Duque said that he spoke with President Abdo Benítez "to agree on all cooperation to find those responsible" and indicated that the director of the Police is in Cartagena to advance the investigations.
We repudiate the assassination of the Paraguayan Prosecutor Marcelo Pecci in Cartagena.
I spoke with the President @MaritoAbdo to express my condolences and agree on all cooperation to find those responsible.
@DirectorPolicia is already in the city to carry out the investigations.
– Iván Duque 🇨🇴 (@IvanDuque) May 10, 2022
The Network of Anti-Drug Prosecutors of Ibero-America (RFAI_AIAMP), made up of prosecutors from 20 countries, said that Pecci was "an exceptional prosecutor committed to his work as a service to Paraguayan society and as a way to contribute to a safer world."
"Marcelo was an example for everyone and now he leaves us with an enormous void and heartbreak," said RFAI_AIAMP.
Marcelo Pecci was above all an extraordinary person, always full of joy and close to everyone.
Marcelo was also an exceptional prosecutor committed to his work as a service to Paraguayan society and as a way to contribute to a safer world.
— Network of Anti-Drug Prosecutors of Iberoamerica (@RFAI_AIAMP) May 10, 2022
The United States ambassador to Paraguay, Marc Ostfield, said that the event mourns the countries and that after Pecci's crime "joint work will be strengthened to confront organized crime in Paraguay and the hemisphere."
We join the pain of the Paraguayan people at the murder of Prosecutor Marcelo Pecci in Colombia, this unfortunate event mourns our nations.
More than ever, we will strengthen our joint work to confront organized crime in #Paraguay and the hemisphere.
— Marc Ostfield (@USAmbPY) May 10, 2022
With information from Fernando Ramos, Sanie López Gareli, Florencia Trucco, Gerardo Lemos.
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