Nicolas Petro, son of President Gustavo Petro, Arrested on Charges of Money Laundering

Nicolas Petro, the eldest son of President Gustavo Petro, has been arrested on Saturday, as part of an operation accusing him of money laundering and illicit enrichment. His ex-wife, Days Vasquez, who accused the president’s son of receiving $150,000 from drug trafficking, has also been arrested.

The Prosecutor’s accusations

The Prosecutor’s Office issued a brief statement explaining the charges. In addition to the charges against Nicolas Petro, the ex-wife is accused of “money laundering and violation of personal data for events that occurred from 2022 to the present.”

The Prosecutor’s Office had been investigating Nicolas Petro for alleged ties to drug traffickers since March 21. At that time, there were reports of alleged meetings between Gustavo Petro’s son and drug trafficking leaders in prisons in the country.

Precisely, the ex-wife explained in an interview with the magazine Semana that the drug trafficker Samuel Santander, also known as Marlboro, had given Nicolas Petro “more than 600 million pesos (about $150,000) for his father’s campaign.”

According to Vasquez, this money did not reach the presidential campaign legally. “That never legally reached the campaign because he kept that money,” added the now-detained Days Vasquez. The ex-wife’s accusations went further, as she accused Nicolas Petro of receiving another 200 million pesos (about $50,000) from the businessman Alfonso Hilsaca, known as “el Turco.” This money also allegedly did not end up going to the father’s campaign, as Nicolas had allegedly appropriated it.

Gustavo Petro’s reactions

The reaction of the father of the detainee and President of Colombia has not been delayed. “My son Nicolás and his ex-wife Days have been arrested by the prosecutor’s office,” wrote the president on his social networks.

Gustavo Petro referred to his dual role, as a father and as the country’s top authority, in his tweet. “As a person and father, it hurts me a lot to see so much self-destruction and that one of my children goes through jail.” However, Petro added that “as the President of the Republic, I assure the prosecutor’s office that they have all the guarantees from me to proceed according to the law.”

The President concludes his message with an explicit and perhaps enigmatic “I wish my son luck and strength. May these events shape his character and allow him to reflect on his own mistakes.”

Gustavo Petro referred to his dual role, as a father and as the country’s top authority, in his tweet. “As a person and father, it hurts me a lot to see so much self-destruction and that one of my children goes through jail.” However, Petro added that “as the President of the Republic, I assure the prosecutor’s office that they have all the guarantees from me to proceed according to the law.”

The President concludes his message with an explicit and perhaps enigmatic “I wish my son luck and strength. May these events shape his character and allow him to reflect on his own mistakes.”