The son of Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro vowed to cooperate with the prosecution and reveal political corruption in the Caribbean region.
Nicolas Petro, who is a deputy in the assembly of the Atlantico province, said so in court after initially pleading not guilty to money laundering and illicit enrichment charges.
Son of Colombia’s president arrested on money laundering charges
Petro and his ex-wife Daysuris Vasquez were arrested on Saturday for allegedly receiving donations for his father’s 2022 presidential campaign from shady characters and keeping this money for themselves.
Speaking to the arraignment judge, the president’s son said he had decided to cooperate with justice “for my family and the baby that is on the way.”
Vasquez, who also plead guilty, was already cooperating with the prosecution.
The devastating charges against the son of Colombia’s president
According to prosecutor Mario Burgos, Petro and his ex-wife may know about illegal campaign donations other than the ones for they allegedly received.
The prosecutor also mentioned possible corruption in the granting of government contracts to private contractors.
Following the indictment hearing on Tuesday, attorney Juan Trujillo announced that he had resigned as the principal defense attorney of the president’s son.
A “difference in criteria” had arisen, Trujillo said in a brief statement on social media platform Twitter.
The lawyer provisionally took up the defense of the president’s son after his arrest on Saturday.
Colombia’s prosecution criticized over arrest of president’s son
The court case is a major blow to the president who was elected last year after promising to combat corruption.
Petro’s campaign chief in the Caribbean region, former Senator Armando Benedetti, is also being investigated after a phone conversation was leaked in which he suggested that the president’s campaign had received illegal contributions.
Following his son’s arrest, Petro vowed that he would guarantee the independence of the judicial branch.