Colombian President Gustavo Petro asked prosecutors to investigate two members of his own family amid allegations that his son took money from an ex-drug trafficker, while his brother held inappropriate meetings with politicians in prison.
In a statement, Petro asked the Attorney General to probe his son Nicolas Petro and his brother Juan Fernando Petro to “determine possible responsibilities.” Petro added that he trusted the pair would be able to prove their innocence.
Comunicado a la opinión pública: pic.twitter.com/erVs8bJx4r
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) March 2, 2023
Both men have denied any wrongdoing.
The allegations add to the wave of troubles that have hit Petro in recent days after he faced a cabinet rebellion over his health care bill, a court blocked his bid to cut electricity tariffs, and a group of 80 police and oil workers were kidnapped by protesters in southern Colombia. A poll published Wednesday showed his approval rating has fallen to 40%, the lowest since he took office in August.
Petro posted his statement on Thursday shortly before Semana magazine published an interview with Day Vasquez, Nicolas Petro’s ex-wife, who accused him of receiving more than one billion pesos ($209,000) during last year’s presidential campaign. This included money from a former drug trafficker, who had been jailed in the US, as well a businessman under investigation for ties to organized crime, she said, according to Semana.
Vasquez said Nicolas had kept the money for himself. Gustavo Petro hadn’t known about the payments, and the money wasn’t used to finance his campaign, she said, according to Semana.
Vasquez said Friday in a post on Twitter that she would hand over proof of her allegations to the authorities, and denied that she was motivated by vindictiveness against her former husband.
The Inspector General’s office, which investigates public officials, said Thursday that it had opened an investigation into Nicolas Petro, who currently sits on a regional parliament in Atlantico province on Colombia’s Caribbean coast.
“Total Peace”
Petro’s government is reaching out to criminal organizations in the pursuit of “Total Peace,” whereby all of Colombia’s remaining illegal armed groups will lay down their arms in return for benefits.
Petro said in the same statement that Peace Commissioner Danilo Rueda is the only government representative authorized to contact criminal organizations as part of his peace policy.
Last year, Noticias Caracol TV said Petro’s brother, Juan Fernando, visited a prison in Bogota where he met with jailed former politicians, and discussed a possible reform of the justice system that might include reduced sentences. He said the visits were connected with work he was doing with human rights NGOs.
BLOOMBERG.COM