Son of Colombia’s Petro claims his father’s campaign used illegal money

President Gustavo Petro of Colombia. Photo: Andrea Puentes/Presidencia

The arrest of lawmaker Nicolás Petro Burgos this weekend was bad enough for his father, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, but allegations of money laundering and illicit enrichment have so far not implicated him personally.

Nicolás’ former wife, Daysuris Vásquez, had cleared the president of wrongdoing in an interview that helped kickstart investigations. The president even distanced himself from his son, saying Nicolás had to “reflect on his mistakes” and calling for an independent probe.

So far, the story has only indicated that Petro Jr. collected undeclared money from several sources, possibly including drug traffickers, but used that cash for his personal benefit.

But the story went further yesterday, prosecutors said, when the president’s son declared that his father’s successful presidential campaign also used some of that money. According to the prosecutor’s office, this “relevant information was unknown until now.”

Colombia’s right-wing press went further, saying that the prosecutor’s office had uncovered that President Petro personally knew about the use of irregular funds in his campaign, but the head of state responded to the rumor by calling it a “lie.”

The president later released a statement lamenting the “alleged irregularities” in his campaign, saying “no one is above the law,” and appointing a lawyer to participate in the investigation.

Mr. Petro’s son was accused of living a life of luxury inconsistent with his salary, while his ex-wife was also arrested and faces similar charges. The president’s son agreed to cooperate with the investigation, although he protested his innocence earlier this week.

Tensions over the case remain high, as Nicolás Petro’s lawyer warned this Friday that his client’s life is “in danger” and asked the judiciary to place the lawmaker under house arrest.

The case will inevitably create new headaches for his father, who has already dealt with a campaign finance scandal earlier this year and is struggling politically after failing to pass key reforms, contributing to his falling approval ratings.

Ignacio Portes and Lucas Berti

Ignacio Portes is The Brazilian Report's Latin America editor. Based in Buenos Aires, he has covered politics, macro, markets and diplomacy for the Financial Times, Al Jazeera, and the Buenos Aires Herald.