Updated on: June 29, 2026 / 6:39 AM EDT
/ AFP
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Colombian hard-right president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella on Friday named a former lawmaker whose father was killed by infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar as his future interior minister. De la Espriella narrowly won Sunday's runoff by less than a percentage point and has pledged to use a heavy hand on crime when he takes office in August. In his first cabinet announcement, the millionaire lawyer named Rodrigo Lara as his interior minister. "He who NEVER, despite having been a victim of violence, stopped working for his homeland," De la Espriella said in a social media post accompanied by an AI-generated video. The incoming minister's father, Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, was serving as justice minister in 1984 when he was gunned down in Bogota on Escobar's orders.In a 2021 social media post, Lara noted his father's assassination."He fought and died alone, knowing he was going to be killed. He never wavered; he never yielded to the power of the worst criminals," Lara wrote. "His sacrifice was an act of supreme love for Colombia—an act of faith and hope."
Hace 37 años fue asesinado mi padre, Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, cuando tenía 37 años de edadLuchó y murió solo, sabiendo que lo iban a matar. Nunca se amilanó, nunca cedió al poder de los peores criminalesSu sacrificio fue un acto amor supremo por Colombia, de fe y esperanza. pic.twitter.com/1TBKPbBD5X— Rodrigo Lara 🇨🇴 (@Rodrigo_Lara_) April 30, 2021
