Last Updated on July 31, 2023
The son of Colombia's first communist president, Gustavo Petro, was arrested this weekend by the country's attorney general on drug trafficking-related charges of money laundering and illicit enrichment.
Colombia's First Son, Nicolas Petro, a Congressman from Atlantico province, was arrested over claims he received payments from drug traffickers to support his father's supposed "peace initiatives."
He has denied any wrongdoing and expressed his willingness to cooperate with the investigation. As part of the ongoing probe, Nicolas Petro's former wife has also been taken into custody.
Gustavo Petro, who is himself a former left-wing guerilla with the M-19 terrorist group, has similarly denied the claims.
"I wish my son luck and strength," Petro wrote on Twitter. "May these events forge your character and may you reflect on your own mistakes."
"As I stated before the attorney general. I will not intervene on pressure his decisions; let the law freely guide the process," he added.
The attorney general's office specified that the allegations against Nicolas are linked to illegal contributions diverted from his father's election campaign last year.
Nicolas and his ex-wife, Daysuris del Carmen Vásquez, have been transferred from the Caribbean coast to Colombia's capital, Bogotá.
Vásquez had previously claimed her former husband received significant sums of money from drug cartels during the political campaign that eventually led to Gustavo Petro's victory in the presidential election.
Around 450,000 Colombians have died over the past six decades as a result of a war between far-left guerilla groups, narco-traffickers, and the government.
During his presidential campaign last year, Petro committed to reaching ceasefire agreements with the country's most notorious armed rebel groups and drug cartels. He has also restored Colombia's diplomatic relations with Marxist dictatorships in Cuba and Venezuela.
However, talks with the major crime syndicate, Clan del Golfo, recently broke down because of ongoing violence, though a negotiated ceasefire with the Marxist National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group will begin in August.