Nicolás Petro Burgos, the eldest son of the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, testified before the Commission of Accusations of the House of Representatives, stating that the Prosecutor’s Office coerced him to testify against his father in the framework of the investigation into alleged anomalies in the financing of the 2022 presidential campaign.
During his interrogation by the members of the Commission, Alirio Uribe, Gloria Arizabaleta and Wílmer Carrillo – the only entity authorized to carry out investigations against a president -, Petro Burgos shared a post-diligence video in which he expressed: “I “They coerced me to testify against my father, as demonstrated in the interrogation that was illegally leaked.”
Currently, Nicolás Petro resides in Barranquilla under house arrest, a measure imposed after being accused by the Prosecutor’s Office of illicit enrichment and money laundering.
In July 2022, Nicolás Petro and his ex-wife Daysuris Álvarez were arrested by the Prosecutor’s Office on suspicion of having irregularly received funds from businessmen for their father’s electoral campaign.
“I recently presented a document to the House Impeachment Committee detailing the real events surrounding my father’s presidential campaign and his inner circle. “This is my truth and I openly share it with the country to clarify and unravel the context of the events as they occurred,” declared Nicolás after his testimony before the Commission that is evaluating whether to open a case against the president.
In a section of his statements, Petro Burgos indicated: «They asked me questions about him without having the authority to do so. “The people involved in my unjustified arrest caused discord to confront me with my father, at which point I understood that the situation was more political than legal.”
The president’s son added: “In the process of negotiating a non-persecution agreement, prosecutor Mario Burgos assured me that, in exchange, he would not request preventive detention, but rather house arrest, which would allow me to be present at the birth of my son. ».
In Colombia, criminal accusations or disciplinary complaints against senior state officials, including the president, are the responsibility of the Legal Commission of Investigation and Accusations, made up of 16 members.
With this framework, the Commission summoned Petro Burgos to testify in Barranquilla today, and plans to summon other relevant figures, such as the current president of Ecopetrol, Ricardo Roa, who served as campaign manager.
After finishing the session, Diego Henao, Nicolás Petro’s lawyer, declared that “all the queries posed by the representatives to Nicolás Fernando Petro were answered.”
«A document was presented that extensively details all the issues of interest. We remain attentive and available for any additional call by the commission regarding any questions that may arise,” commented the lawyer.