COLOMBIA’S NATIONAL POLICE FORCE is facing allegations that it wiretapped a high-profile journalist investigating the involvement of cadets in a prostitution ring.

While the attorney general’s office and Colombia’s president have separately ordered investigations into the allegations, critics say the probes are being hindered by death threats and conflicts of interests. This is the third major wiretapping scandal in Colombia in less than a decade.

The latest scandal broke when prominent radio host and former news anchor Vicky Dávila announced that she, her family, and her reporting team had been trailed and wiretapped by the national police.

Dávila, who was investigating allegations that some 300 police cadets were engaged in a prostitution ring catering to top officials, told The Intercept that she believed she had been followed since 2014.

“I found out when an unknown person, who claimed to be a member of the police and wanted to clear their conscience, wrote to me and [fellow journalist] Claudia Morales to inform us that we were being targeted by a clandestine police spying program,” Dávila said.

Since Dávila went public with the allegations in December, four other prominent journalists investigating the police have also claimed to be victims of wiretapping and harassment.

Colombia’s attorney general, Eduardo Montealegre, has publicly supported Dávila, adding credibility to her charges.

“The attorney general’s office has strong indications that there existed tracking and interception of Vicky Dávila and other journalists by police,” said Montealegre’s office in a tweet.

Following that statement, the attorney general’s office reported that the prosecutor leading the investigation in Bogotá had received a series of anonymous calls that included death threats. In response, Montealegre said his office “would not be intimidated.”

The attorney general’s office declined to respond to questions from The Intercept about the investigation. The national police could not be reached for comment.

Amid the ongoing investigation, President Juan Manuel Santos has refused to fire the director of the national police, Gen. Rodolfo Palomino, who is also facing allegations that he sexually harassed a subordinate in 1998. Santos expressed doubt over the evidence presented by Dávila and Morales, calling their allegations no more than “gossip and rumors.

“It would be irresponsible on my part to sacrifice someone with such a career in the police,” Santos told the press. “If they bring me evidence, they can be sure I will act.”