Title: Colombian President’s Son Arrested for Money Laundering and Illicit Enrichment
Date: 29 July 2023, 15:06 BST
Updated: 54 minutes ago
Image caption: Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has denied himself taking any money from drug traffickers
The son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro has been arrested on charges of money laundering and illicit enrichment, according to the country’s attorney general. Nicolas Petro, a politician in Atlantico province, was detained over allegations that he accepted payments from drug traffickers to fund his father’s peace efforts and election campaign.
Nicolas Petro has denied the claims and expressed his willingness to cooperate with the inquiry when it was launched. In a surprising turn of events, his ex-wife, Daysuris del Carmen Vásquez, has also been arrested as part of the investigation.
President Petro, the country’s first left-wing leader, has vehemently denied taking money from Colombia’s drug traffickers and even ordered prosecutors to investigate his son back in March. In a public statement, he wished his son luck and strength, expressing hope that this experience would lead Nicolas to reflect on his own mistakes.
According to the attorney general’s office, the allegations against Nicolas involve illegal contributions that were diverted from his father’s election campaign last year. Both Nicolas and his former wife are being transferred from the Caribbean coast to Colombia’s capital, Bogotá.
Ms. Vásquez had previously made claims in local media that her former husband received substantial amounts of money from drug cartels during last year’s political campaign, which ultimately led to Gustavo Petro’s victory in the presidential election.
Colombia has endured 60 years of internal conflict, resulting in the loss of an estimated 450,000 lives. President Petro had campaigned on a promise to secure peace through negotiations with the country’s armed rebel groups and drug cartels. While there have been intermittent successes over his first year in office, talks with the major crime gang Clan del Golfo have failed due to ongoing violence. However, a negotiated ceasefire with the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group is set to begin in August.
As this high-profile case unfolds, it poses a significant challenge for President Petro and his administration, who have been striving to bring stability and peace to Colombia. The investigation will shed light on the allegations against his son, further testing the president’s commitment to maintaining transparency and accountability within his government.