Son of Colombia's president admits illegal money entered election campaign - prosecutor

Record ID: 1736378

  • Title: Son of Colombia's president admits illegal money entered election campaign - prosecutor
  • Date: 3rd August 2023
  • Summary: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (AUGUST 1, 2023) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PROSECUTOR'S BUILDING
  • Embargoed: 17th August 2023 23:48
  • Keywords: Election campaign Gustavo Petro Nicolas Petro audience bribe corruption drug trafficking drugs election elections
  • Location: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
  • City: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
  • Country: Colombia
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions,South America / Central America
  • Reuters ID: LVA006217103082023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Nicolas Petro, the eldest son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, admitted that illegal money entered his father's election campaign last year, the prosecutor handling the case said on Thursday (August 3).
    Nicolas Petro, 37, was arrested on Saturday in the city of Barranquilla alongside his ex-wife, Daysuris del Carmen Vasquez, who was quoted in the media in March saying that two people accused of having ties to drug trafficking gave her former spouse cash to support the president's election campaign.
    The information pertained to campaign funding, which appeared to exceed legal limits, and some of which was not reported to electoral authorities, Burgos added.
    Although Vasquez said the president was not aware of the dealings, the scandal could hamper the Petro administration's pursuit of peace and surrender deals with armed groups and its ambitious reform agenda.
    According to the charges, Nicolas Petro, a lawmaker in Atlantico province, received money from accused drug traffickers in exchange for including them in the president's peace plans.
    He has pleaded not guilty but said he would collaborate with prosecutors, who accuse him of buying properties valued at the equivalent of about $394,000 with money that did not come from his lawmaker salary.
    The charges could lead to sentences of 12 and 20 years in prison.
    (Production: Herbert Villaraga, Nina Lopez, Bernat Parera)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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