The attorney general’s office in Colombia released a statement saying that the president’s son had been arrested in connection with an investigation into money laundering and unlawful enrichment. Attorney General’s Office is looking into allegations that Atlantico province congressman Nicolas Petro accepted money from drug traffickers in exchange for including them in his father’s efforts to broker peace talks with criminal organizations in the Caribbean region, CNN reported in early March. For his part, Petro issued a statement on March 2 in which he reiterated his denial of the allegations against him, calling them “political and personal attacks” intended to derail the progress he had made in his career.
Upon hearing of his son’s detention, Colombian President Gustavo Petro expressed “hurt,” but he assured the public that his son’s case will be conducted legally. “As a human being and a parent, it bothers me a great deal that one of my children goes to jail and that there is so much self-destruction. Petro, the president of the country, took to Twitter on Saturday to say, “As president, I assure that the prosecution has all the guarantees on my part to proceed in accordance with the law.”
As he continued, Petro wished his son “luck and strength” and reaffirmed his resolve not to intervene or pressure the attorney general. When the charges against his son first surfaced, the president actually encouraged the attorney general to launch an investigation. Daysuris del Carmen Vásquez Castro, Nicolas Petro’s ex-wife, was also named in the statement released on Saturday, and an arrest warrant was issued for her “for the crimes of money laundering and violation of personal data for events that occurred from 2022 to date,” according to the attorney general’s office.
Those apprehended will be entrusted to the custody of a Municipal Criminal Judge with the Function of Guarantee Control, who will be tasked with ensuring the legitimacy of the search, apprehension, and seizure of tangible evidence. The identical charges for those offences listed above will be filed, and a measure to limit freedom will be requested, the statement stated.
