Colombia President Petro's son arrested in money laundering probe

President Gustavo Petro, a former rebel who rose through Colombia’s political ranks as an anti-corruption crusader, said he wouldn’t interfere with the investigation.

“As an individual and father, it pains me to see so much self-destruction and one of my sons going to jail,” Petro said in an early morning message 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.”

The arrest of Nicolas Petro is a major blow to the government, which has been buffeted by conservative attacks from day one at the same time it has struggled to maintain bipartisan support for Colombia in the US, a longtime ally in the war on drugs and fight against illegal armed groups.

The investigation stems from shocking declarations made by Nicolas Petro’s ex-wife, Daysuris del Carmen Vasquez, to local media outlet Semana earlier this year.

In the extended interview, Vasquez detailed how she was present at meetings when her husband arranged a donation of more than 600 million pesos (around $150,000) from a politician once convicted in Washington of drug trafficking and who was seeking the Petro campaign’s support to resume his political career.

She said President Petro was unaware of her son’s dealings and the money he collected in his campaign’s name was kept inside a safe inside the couple’s home in the coastal city of Barranquilla.

Nicolas Petro has denied his ex-wife’s claims as unfounded.

The chief prosecutor’s office said in a statement that Nicolas Petro and his ex-wife were taken into custody on orders of a court in Bogota around 6 a.m. local time Saturday. It said that once brought before a judge, prosecutors would seek their provisional detention as it investigates the two for money laundering.

Son of Colombian president leaves prosecutor's office after arrest

Nicolas Petro and his ex-wife Daysuris del Carmen Vasquez left the prosecutor's office in Barranquilla after he was arrested as part of an investigation into money laundering and illicit enrichment on Saturday (July 29).

The younger Petro, a politician in Atlantico province, had welcomed the investigation when it began in March and has previously called accusations that he took money from drug traffickers in exchange for including them in his father's peace efforts unfounded.

The attorney general office will request to a judge that the younger Petro and Vasquez be held on the charges.

AP and Reuters