Son of Colombian President Petro Arrested in Money Laundering Investigation

BOGOTÁ, July 29 (Reuters) – Nicolás Petro, the son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, has been arrested as part of an investigation into money laundering and illicit enrichment, the attorney general’s office said on Saturday.

The young Petro, a politician from the Atlantic province, had welcomed the investigation. When did it start in March and previously called allegations that he took money from drug traffickers in exchange for including them in his father’s peace efforts unfounded.

Also arrested on charges of money laundering and breach of personal data was Nicolás’s ex-wife, Daysuris del Carmen Vásquez, who earlier this year told local media that two people accused of involvement in drug trafficking had given her money to Nicolás for his father’s campaign.

Petro said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that it was painful that one of his sons was imprisoned, but that the Attorney General’s Office had all the guarantees to proceed according to the law.

“I wish my son luck and strength. May these events forge his character and reflect on his own mistakes,” said the president. “As I stated to the attorney general, I will not intervene or pressure his decisions, let the law freely guide the process.”

The president has vowed to make peace deals or surrender with rebels and criminal gangs to end Colombia’s 60-year internal conflict that has killed 450,000 people.

The efforts have met with mixed success during his first year in office. Resumed negotiations with the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group have led to a ceasefire ready to start in August, while efforts to hold talks with the main criminal gang Clan del Golfo they have hesitated because of the continuing violence.

A proposed law to regulate renditions by criminal groups, granting participants lower sentences in exchange for information and restoration work, has drawn harsh criticism, including from the attorney general.

The attorney general’s office will ask a judge to have the young Petro and Vasquez detained on the charges, he said.

“Charges will be filed for the aforementioned crimes and measures to restrict freedom will be requested,” the Attorney General’s Office said in a statement, adding that the arrests took place at 06:00 local time (11:00 GMT).

Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb; Edited by Diane Craft

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