Colombia’s attorney general’s office captures Nicolás Petro Burgos, son of President Gustavo Petro
Nicolás Petro Burgos, son of Colombia’s president Gustavo Petro and congressman in the department of Atlántico, was arrested as part of an investigation for money laundering and illicit enrichment, the attorney general’s office reported this Saturday morning.
In a press release, the Colombian attorney general’s office informed that this Saturday “around 06:00 hours, in compliance with the provisions of the 16th Municipal Criminal Court with Function of Control of Guarantees of Bogota, the arrest warrants issued against Nicolás Fernando Petro Burgos, for the crimes of money laundering and illicit enrichment were made effective”.
The document adds that likewise, his ex-wife, Daysuris del Carmen Vásquez Castro was arrested for the “crimes of money laundering and violation of personal data for events that occurred from 2022 to date”.
President Gustavo Petro reacted through his Twitter account. “As a person and father it hurts me a lot so much self-destruction and the fact that one of my sons goes to jail; as president of the Republic I assure (sic) that the prosecution has all the guarantees on my part to proceed according to the law,” he wrote.
“To my son I wish him luck and strength. May these events forge his character and may he reflect on his own mistakes”, he added.
Gustavo Petro said that as he affirmed he will not intervene or put pressure on the decisions of the attorney general of the Nation, Francisco Barbosa.
The prosecutor’s office informed that those captured will be placed at the disposal of a Municipal Criminal Judge with control of guarantees function. They will be charged for the crimes already mentioned and a restrictive measure of liberty will be requested.
In March Nicolas Petro had been placed under investigation by the attorney general’s office on accusations that he had taken money from drug traffickers in exchange for including them in his father’s efforts to negotiate peace talks with criminal organizations in the Caribbean region.
That same month, Colombian President Gustavo Petro asked the attorney general to conduct the necessary investigations into the allegation of corruption that the former president had mentioned in an interview with Semana magazine involving his brother Fernando Petro Urrego and his eldest son, Nicolas Petro Burgos.
Day Vásquez, Nicolás Petro’s ex-wife, affirmed in an interview with the director of that media, Vicky Dávila, that the president’s son received large sums of money from the hands of former drug traffickers, politicians and other individuals investigated and convicted for corruption. Vásquez also claims that she had already told the president about this and that he “had no idea” of the alleged facts, while, she says, he was very disappointed by the alleged conduct of his son and brother.
In a statement in March, Petro Burgos had denied the accusations against him, saying they were nothing more than political and personal attacks aimed at destroying the work he had accomplished in his career.
Legalization of arrest hearing postponed in Bogotá
Judge 1 of Control of Guarantees of Bogota postponed this Saturday the hearing of legalization of capture of the son of the president of Colombia, Nicolas Petro Burgos, and his ex-wife, Daysuris del Carmen Vasquez Castro, because the latter’s lawyers were not present at the proceedings and could not participate remotely.
At the moment it is not known if the hearing will be held this Saturday or this Sunday.