The disciplinary commission of Colombia’s judicial branch announced charges against the prosecutor who is investigating the son of President Gustavo Petro.
According to the National Commission for Judicial Discipline, prosecutor Mario Burgos allegedly leaked evidence to the media and tried to intimidate the president’s son, Nicolas Petro.
If found guilty of the charges, Burgos may be removed from the Prosecutor General’s Office.
The prosecutor will be able to continue the investigation against Petro while defending himself over the alleged irregularities in the investigation.
The charges against the prosecutor come almost a year after Burgos ordered the arrest of the president’s son on money laundering charges.
Petro was subsequently released because the prosecutor failed to adequately justify the arrest, which caused a media spectacle.
The president asked the judicial branch to suspend Burgos after the prosecution leaked an interrogation video in which Petro said that his father’s 2022 campaign received illicit funding to weekly Semana.
This video was allegedly recorded after Burgos pressured Petro to incriminate his father.
The controversial video triggered suspicion about the possible political motivations behind the investigation and spurred the president to accuse the prosecution of violating his immunity.
According to Colombia’s constitution, only Congress can investigate the president.