The son of Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro won’t take part in Colombia’s regional elections after an apparent slander campaign by his ex-wife and political rivals.
Nicolas Petro, a deputy in the Atlantico province, made the announcement on Sunday after the Inspector General’s Office and the Prosecutor General’s Office opened an investigation after his ex-wife, Daysuris Vasquez, said the president’s son received money from the mafia and was given administrative positions by Interior Minister Alfonso Prada.
Both the president and his son had called on authorities to investigate the allegations that, according to the president’s son, are part of “an unprecedented social and media lynching.”
Evidence contradicts claims
Vasquez’ claim about the mafia contributions was contradicted by evidence published by Vicky Davila, the director of weekly Semana and a member of the Gnecco crime family.
The magazine, which reportedly received Vasquez’ WhatsApp conversations with Petro since May 2021, failed to publish the chat that would confirm Petro’s alleged influence peddling.
Davila has a history of publishing unfounded claims against Petro and political rivals of notoriously corrupt clans from the Caribbean region.
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The investigations
The Prosecutor General’s Office, which opened a criminal investigation, on Monday reportedly raided Petro’s home, which Vasquez said was paid for with money from convicted drug trafficker Santander Lopesierra and alleged mafia associate Alfonso Hilsaca.
The Inspector General’s Office on Friday announced a disciplinary investigation into Petro “for allegedly receiving funds to finance the 2022 presidential campaign.”
The office of Inspector General Margarita Cabello failed to open an investigation into compelling evidence suggesting that the 2018 campaign of former President Ivan Duque received financial support from a Caribbean drug trafficking organization.
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The Char Clan
According to newspaper El Espectador, Petro’s ex-wife is close to the Char Clan, which has all but absolute control over Atlantico’s economy and political system.
The Supreme Court is currently investigating the alleged election fraud practices of one of the clan’s most prominent members, former Senate President Arturo Char.
Former Senator David Char, another member of the clan, admitted before war crimes tribunal JEP that his 2002 and 2006 elections had been bankrolled by the now-defunct paramilitary organization AUC.
Former Barranquilla Mayor Alejandro Char and Cabello, a Char Clan associate, were implicated in a criminal extortion complaint in 2020.