Colombia’s president has publicly defended a senior aide after three people with criminal records were found inside the aide’s home, though the facts of the case remain unclear.
Three people with judicial records were found inside the home of one of Colombia’s senior presidential officials, and on Saturday 7 November 2026 the president said he stands behind him. The official is Carlos Ríos, director of Dapre, the Departamento Administrativo de la Presidencia de la República, which runs the president’s office and administration.
For readers in the United States, the story matters because Colombia has long been a close partner of Washington in the region. The government says it will keep pursuing the use of public funds and will not give way to pressure.
A soldier of the Presidential Guard Battalion on guard duty at the Casa de Nariño, the presidential palace in Bogotá, 2024. File photo: Lancero99, CC0, Wikimedia CommonsWhat We Know
The Government says protection authorities found the three people inside Ríos’s home on Wednesday 28 October 2026. The Presidency of Colombia, the president’s executive office, says their records include homicide and eight aggravated thefts.
The Government made the matter public on Tuesday 3 November 2026. Miller Soto, the Presidency’s spokesman, said the three were found inside the residence, not outside it.
On Saturday 7 November, President Abelardo de la Espriella, a conservative lawyer who took office in August 2026, wrote on the social network X that anyone who messes with Ríos messes with the president. He added that no member of what he called “our pack” would be left alone or unprotected.
The president also said the denunciations must be investigated “to the last consequences”. He added that the Government will not allow threats, intimidation or fear to silence those who denounce corruption.
His message is aimed at anyone who might try to pressure an official who speaks out. For another recent presidential warning, see our report on his message to two San Andrés leaders.
Why Ríos Was Already in the News
On Wednesday 21 October 2026, a week before the entry, Ríos spoke in a debate of the Senate’s Second Committee, which deals with foreign affairs and defence. He alleged irregular service contracts tied to 48 women under the previous government of Gustavo Petro.
He also alleged an “instrumentalización de mujeres”, meaning a use of women. The allegations concern the previous government of Petro, the leftist former president.
What Is Not Known
Arrests are not confirmed, because official accounts say only that the three were identified and placed at the disposal of the authorities. No suspect has been named, and it is not known who the three people are or why they were there.
Authorities must still establish how they got in. The Attorney General’s office, Colombia’s national prosecutor, has opened a preliminary inquiry into the Dapre contracts, and we found no statement from it on the entry.
The Presidency has linked the entry to Ríos’s allegations and asked the authorities to establish whether the two are related. That link is unproven.
No link has been established between the entry and Ríos’s allegations in the Senate. Until investigators say otherwise, the two events should be read as separate.
In Plain English
Dapre handles the administration of the president’s office, so its director sits close to the centre of government. Protection authorities are the state bodies that guard senior officials and their homes.
“Instrumentalización de mujeres” is Ríos’s phrase for using women as tools, and it remains an allegation, not a court finding. The same is true of the contract claims.
What It Means for You
If you follow Colombia as an investor, traveller or policy watcher, the immediate lesson is about politics, not markets. A new conservative government is pressing corruption claims against its predecessor, and one of its senior officials has now been touched by a security incident.
Three things are worth watching: whether prosecutors confirm an investigation into the entry, whether the identities of the three people are released, and whether the Presidency produces evidence of a link. Until then, the president’s words are a statement of support, not evidence of what happened.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Carlos Ríos?
Carlos Ríos is the director of Dapre, the department that runs the president’s office and administration. He spoke in a Senate committee on 21 October 2026.
What did the Government say happened at his home?
It says protection authorities found three people with judicial records inside his home on 28 October 2026. It made this public on 3 November.
Were the three people arrested?
That is not confirmed, as official accounts say only that they were identified and placed at the disposal of the authorities. No suspect has been named.
Is the entry linked to his corruption allegations?
No link has been established. Authorities must still determine how the three got in and whether it relates to his allegations.
Sources: Presidency of Colombia and its spokesman Miller Soto, statements of 3 and 7 November 2026; Senate of Colombia, Second Committee debate of 21 October 2026.