Rodolfo Hernández, who lost Colombia’s presidency to Gustavo Petro in 2022, has died after announcing his terminal cancer diagnosis in March.
On September 2, Hernández’s family confirmed through X that the politician had experienced complications a month after undergoing liver surgery, prompted by his cancer diagnosis. He remained in intensive care at the Colombian International Hospital for a week before he died, the Colombian newspaper reported. time.
“His family and close friends appreciate all the prayers for his recovery,” the statement said.
Later in the day, Hernandez’s own party, the League of Anti-Corruption Governors (Rulers Against Corruption League) announced that he had passed away via X. “Hernández leaves an irreplaceable void in our organization and in national politics,” they said.
The Columbian International Hospital also released a statement, explaining that the politician’s death was caused by “complications from his metastatic neoplastic disease of the colon.”
“I deeply mourn the death of Rodolfo Hernandez after a long battle with cancer. I extend a hug to his family,” said current president Gustavo Petro, Hernandez’s former political rival.
His funeral will be open to the public and will be held in his hometown of Bucaramanga on September 4.
controversy
At age 79, Hernández was diagnosed with colon cancer in May 2023 and underwent multidisciplinary treatment including five surgeries after it spread to his liver, according to time.
He shared his terminal diagnosis in a tearful intervention during court proceedings in March 2024 after being accused of corruption, the newspaper reported.
“Judge, I want to thank everyone who participated in this trial. I answered every one of your calls. I have terminal cancer, thanks for looking where you shouldn’t have. I thought I was going to end up anywhere but on trial for crimes I didn’t commit,” Hernandez said at the time.
The trial resulted in a 64-month house arrest after it was found that he could not serve prison time due to poor health.
However, the politician appealed the decision in June 2024, claiming irregularities in the evidence given against him and saying that the judge had overlooked contradictions in the evidence.
All criminal and disciplinary proceedings against him will be archived due to his death, according to Colombian law and reported by time.
