2023-07-29 17:28:48
Nicolás Petro and his ex-wife, Daysuris Vásquez, were arrested this Saturday morning; Gustavo Petro stated that he will not interfere or put pressure on the justice system during the trial.
EITAN ABRAMOVICH / AFP
(FILES) Dismissed Bogota’s Mayor Gustavo Petro (L) waves to supporters as his son Nicolas Petro looks on from the City Hall balcony during a demonstration in downtown Bogota on January 13, 2014. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on July 29, 2023, that his son Nicolas had been arrested on charges of money laundering and illicit enrichment in a scandal linked to Petro’s election campaign. (Photo by EITAN ABRAMOVICH / AFP)
Nicholas Petroson of the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, was arrested this Saturday, 29, on charges of money laundering and illicit enrichment. The scandal would be linked to the presidential campaign, said the Attorney General’s Office. Nicolás was arrested this morning along with his ex-wife, daysuris vasquez, who accused him of having links with drug dealers and smugglers. Vásquez was arrested on charges of money laundering and violation of personal data. “Those captured will be placed at the disposal of a criminal judge […] who will be asked to give legality to the procedures of search, capture and apprehension of material evidence”, informed the prosecution. In an interview with Semana magazine in March, Vásquez said that Nicolás led a luxurious life in the city of Barranquillain northern Colombia, with large amounts of money received for his father’s election campaign.
Gustavo Petro regretted the news of his son’s arrest and assured that he will guarantee independence in court. “My son Nicolás and his ex-wife Days were captured by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. As a person and a father, so much self-destruction hurts me a lot and the fact that one of my children goes to jail”, wrote Petro on the social network. “As I stated before the Attorney General, I will not intervene or pressure his decisions; let the law freely guide the process,” he continued. Since the scandal broke, Petro has denied the existence of mafia money in his presidential campaign accounts. He would have asked for the opening of an investigation against his own son. “I wish my son luck and strength. May these events forge his character and he can reflect on his own mistakes, ”he said.
*With information from AFP
#Colombian #Presidents #Son #Arrested #Money #Laundering #Illicit #Enrichment