The scandal over the alleged financing by drug traffickers of the electoral campaign of the current Colombian president, Gustavo Petroshakes his Government on the eve of its first anniversary, which will be celebrated on August 7, and can bring judicial and political consequences to the president.
Petro He was elected with the promise of a change, even in the political mores of the country, where forms of corruption such as influence peddling, improper conclusion of contracts and theft of public money abound, but his alliances with traditional politicians ended up taking their toll.
And it was not the opposition that brought to light the alleged illegal acts of his campaign, but rather the bomb was detonated in his family environment as a result of a marital dispute between his eldest son, Nicholas Petro Burgosand his ex-wife, daysuris vasquez which ended up reaching the Prosecutor’s Office.
The opposition, for its part, has taken advantage of the revelation of Petro Burgos to the Prosecutor’s Office, about the alleged entry of drug money to his father’s presidential campaign, to request that he be subjected to a political trial or even demand his resignation, for which they have called for demonstrations throughout the country on August 16.
Three processes on the way
According to the coordinator of Democracy and Governance of the Peace and Reconciliation Foundation (Peers), Stephen Salazarthe case can have three processes: one in the General Prosecutor’s Office, another in the National Electoral Council (CNE) and the third in the Commission of Accusations of the House of Representatives.
“The Prosecutor’s Office, for now, has the information of Nicholas Petro and ‘Day’ Vasquezwho must provide evidence of the money they received and how much and where they entered the campaign, “he points out.
The money in question came from two sources, the drug trafficker Samuel Santander Lopesierraknown as “the Marlboro man”, and of Gabriel Hilsaca Acostason of the controversial businessman Alfonso ‘Turkish’ Hilsaca.
“What follows then is that the Prosecutor’s Office must verify if the money provided (…) comes from illegal sources” to take criminal measures in the case, he said.
Beyond the origin of the money, Nicholas Petro stated in an interview published by the magazine Week that his father did not know about the entry of illicit money into his electoral campaign.
“Neither my dad nor the campaign manager, Ricardo RoaThey knew about the money we received daysuris and I of Santander Lopesierra and of gabriel hilsaca. Obviously, they did not know that part of those contributions I used for the campaign. It is important to make that clarification, but there are other circumstances,” he said.
by the sides of CNEthis organism must investigate if that money was registered by the presidential campaign of Petro and, in this way, determine if the then candidate knew or not.
The CNE does not have jurisdiction to judge the president and other appraisers, which by law corresponds to the Committee on Impeachments of the House of Representativesfrom which Salazar says it “has been characterized as highly negligent and inefficient in the past.”
The president of said Commission, the conservative Wadith Manzurreported on Friday that since last March, when vasquez made the first complaints against Nicholas Petrocarries out “a process against the President of the Republic” that “is in the preliminary investigation stage”, to which is added the complaint filed this week against the President by a senator.
political risk
However, the greatest risk for the ex-guerrilla-turned-president seems to be in the political arena because the scandal erupted just three months after the mayoral and gubernatorial elections from next October 29 to which the Historical Pactthe alliance by which he was elected Petroarrives weakened by the rapid wear and tear of the Government.
This wear is noticeable in the setbacks suffered in the Congresswhere in the first legislature Petro he failed to get his social reforms approved and continues to lose support.
“Governance is severely affected for the necessary and ambitious transformation agenda that our country demands. It’s not a family drama. It is a matter of State and access to power,” wrote the senator Angelica Lozanomember of the Green partya force that next Wednesday will decide whether or not to continue supporting the Government.
For the political analyst Mauricio Jaramillo Jassirteacher of the University of Rosario of Bogotathe greatest political impact of this scandal will be felt by Petro in the October elections.
“I do not believe that (the scandal) will reduce the margin of governability for the Government, that will be taken away by the election of mayors, governors and assemblies,” he explained to efe.
In his opinion, this will happen because in these three months “the parties are going to try to distance themselves from the Government and because the Congressrepresentatives and senators, will be focused on local campaigns.
