RIO DE JANEIRO: Colombian prosecutors on Tuesday said they have charged the son of President Gustavo Petro, Nicolás Petro, with money laundering and illicit enrichment in the 2022 presidential campaign, reported German news agency (dpa).
Petro had an unjustified increase in his capital as a public official, a statement from the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bogotá read. Nicolás said he intends to cooperate with the prosecutors.
Nicolás’ ex-wife Daysuris del Carmen Vásquez, also charged with money laundering, contributed to the investigation with statements that her ex-husband had received illegal donations in connection with drug trafficking.
Nicolás and Vásquez were detained on Saturday and held at the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bogotá.
Gustavo, a former guerrilla and Colombia’s first left-wing president, said he had assured prosecutors he would not interfere and that justice would run its course.
He took office last August with an ambitious agenda, including the promise to start talks with all remaining armed groups in Colombia to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace in the country, which was ravaged by decades of civil war. – BERNAMA-dpa
