Colombian President Gustavo Petro will face an investigation for alleged irregular financing of his 2022 election campaign. The decision to initiate the inquiry came after his son, Nicolás Petro, made statements regarding the entry of illegal funds that his father had supposedly received.
This Wednesday, the Commission of Accusations of the House of Representatives of Colombia, the only body empowered to investigate the president, announced that it decided to open a "prior investigation" against the Colombian president.
Abren investigación previa contra el presidente Gustavo Petro en Comisión de Acusación por posible financiación irregular de su campaña. La confesión de su hijo Nicolás, los audios de Armando Benedetti y el testimonio de Day Vásquez son clave. Hay más. pic.twitter.com/do5iTAxAEA
— Vicky Dávila (@VickyDavilaH) December 13, 2023
The trigger for this investigation dates back to last June when compromising recordings of Armando Benedetti, then ambassador to Venezuela and a key figure in Petro's campaign came to light. In these audios, Benedetti admitted to having raised around 15 billion Colombian pesos (approximately $3.7 million) in allegedly illegal funds to support Petro's presidential candidacy.
The case became even more complicated after the arrest of the president's son for illicit enrichment and money laundering. During the interrogation, Nicolás Petro stated that his father's electoral campaign was financed with money from drug trafficking and that the president was aware of the entry of alleged irregular money into his campaign.
However, the Prosecutor's Office was limited in its jurisdiction and was forced to refer the case to the House Accusations Committee. In this preliminary phase, evidence is expected to be collected from various organizations to clarify the allegations of irregular financing and exceeding the campaign spending limit, thus evaluating the validity of said accusations before considering additional measures.
At the moment, the Committee has no plans to summon the president or others involved. However, this preliminary process could be decisive in clarifying whether the allegations against Petro are founded, which marks a crucial chapter in the country's political history.
