Nicolás Petro Burgos, eldest son of the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, revealed to the prosecutor that part of the allegedly illegal money he received, and for which he is prosecuted for the crimes of asset laundering and illicit enrichment, entered the electoral campaign of 2022 of the Colombian president.
The prosecutor handling the case, Mario Burgos, explained that Nicolas Petro admitted that he received money from a drug trafficker identified as Samuel Santander Lopesierra, alias the Marlboro man, and from Habriel Hilsaca Acosta, son of businessman Alfonso “Turco” Hilsaca and from Óscar Camacho, businessman from Cúcuta.
Part of this money, Burgos explained, it was invested in the presidential campaign of Gustavo Petro in the year 2022.
“A part of this money was used by Nicolás Petro Burgos himself and his wife (at that time) for their personal benefit and to increase their patrimony in an unjustified manner and to be able to launder the money. Another part of those moneys were invested in the 2022 presidential campaign.“, detailed the prosecutor Burgos.
According to the prosecutor, in the collaboration agreement, Petro Burgos “corroborates and ratifies the Prosecutor’s theory of the case” on money laundering and illicit enrichment, crimes “ that were supported with sufficient legally obtained evidence.”
Nicolás Petro was arrested at the end of July for alleged money laundering and illicit enrichment, and in early August he agreed to collaborate with the Colombian justice system to reveal facts of alleged corruption of which he is aware.
Previously, the son of the Colombian president had been accused of having ties to drug traffickers and smugglers by his ex-wife, Daysuris Vásquez, who accused him of receiving illicit money and leading a life of luxury in the city of Barranquilla.
Nicolás was a deputy for the president’s political movement, the Historical Pact, in the department of Atlántico. The media published their bank statements, much higher than the salary of the person who holds this position.
Gustavo Petro assumed the presidency of Colombia on August 7, 2022, and his tenure has not been without controversy. In June, thousands of Colombians took to the streets to demonstrate against the labor, health and pension reforms proposed by Petro.
With information from the EFE news agency
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