Colombia’s Petro distances himself from son held on money-laundering charges

Colombian President Gustavo Petro had his weekend rest interrupted when the country’s Prosecution Office issued an arrest warrant against his eldest son Nicolás Petro Burgos, and former daughter-in-law Daysuris Vásquez. 

Both are in custody accused of money laundering and illicit enrichment, while Ms. Vásquez faces an additional charge relating to alleged data breaches. 

Earlier this year, Ms. Vásquez accused her ex-husband, the president’s son, of receiving millionaire payments from notorious drug cartel members. During an explosive interview with Colombian right-wing magazine Semana in March, she suggested her husband planned to invest ill-gotten money in his father’s presidential campaign last year in exchange for future political favors — although the president was reportedly unaware of his son’s dealings.  

Reports suggest that Mr. Burgos used cartel money to finance a lavish lifestyle in the coastal city of Barranquilla, the capital of Colombia’s northern Atlántico department, where he serves as a lawmaker for Colombia Humana, his father’s left-wing party. 

President Petro took to Twitter shortly after the arrests, taking care to define his reaction as that of a father from that of a head-of-state. “As a father” Mr. Petro wished his son “luck and strength” and urged him to “reflect on his mistakes.” He went on to ward off suggestions of any interference in the case by saying that, “as a president,” he would ensure that prosecutors have “all the legal guarantees” so the process remains “fully guided by the law.”

Mr. Petro already distanced himself from his son shortly after the scandal erupted in March, asking Prosecutor General Francisco Barbosa to investigate him. The leader’s stance was seen as a tactic to avoid further conflict with Mr. Barbosa, with whom the president has clashed over multiple issues.

This is the first time the son of an incumbent president has been arrested in Colombia, and will not help the president as he struggles to push forward his reform agenda. 

Earlier this year, his administration was hit by another inner-circle scandal, also with alleged links to campaign financing.  Mr. Petro’s tenure currently enjoys 34 percent approval among Colombians. 

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