Colombian police arrested the son of President Gustavo Petro, Saturday, after the younger Petro’s ex-wife accused him of money laundering.
Nicolás Petro’s former spouse alleged her husband received money from a convict to put toward his father’s presidential campaign, which was won last year. Vasquez claimed to be a witness of a $150,000 donation that came from a politician convicted of drug trafficking.
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“As an individual and father, it pains me to see so much self destruction and one of my sons going to jail,” the Colombian president posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “As president of the republic, I’ve assured the chief prosecutor’s office that it will have all of the guarantees so it can proceed according to the law.”
Petro has denied the allegations from his former wife, who was also taken into police custody. She also claimed that her father-in-law was unaware of his son’s dealings, even though she alleged donors were promised campaign support.
The president campaigned on an anti-corruption policies. He was the country’s first leftist president and also a former M-19 guerilla fighter and was the candidate for the Historic Pact for Colombia, a coalition made up of the Colombian Communist Party and other far-left political parties.
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Despite his son’s closeness to the campaign, Petro promised in his post on X that he would not interfere with the investigation. Instead, he suggested the ordeal will allow his son to “forge his character and reflect on his own mistakes.”
Under the previous presidency, President Joe Biden designated Colombia as a non-NATO ally to the U.S.
