Gustavo Petro's son admits President had no idea about tainted funds
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Prosecutors accuse Nicolas Petro of receiving 400 million pesos (about $102,000) from Lopesierra, a former Colombian senator who served a prison sentence for cocaine trafficking.
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Gustavo Petro with his son Nicolas Petro Burgos on election night in Bogota, Colombia, on Sunday, May 29, 2022 (AP)
Colombian President Gustavo Petro's son told Semana magazine that his father had no idea that he [Nicilas] had routed money from a former drug lord into his election campaign. Nicolas Petro is currently facing money-laundering accusations.
"Neither my Papa nor the campaign manager, Ricardo Roa, knew of the money that Daysuris (Vasquez, Nicolas's ex-wife) and I received from Santander Lopesierra and from Gabriel Hilsaca," Nicolas confirmed.
Prosecutors accuse Nicolas Petro of receiving 400 million pesos (about $102,000) from Lopesierra, a former Colombian senator who served a US prison sentence for cocaine trafficking, and additional funds from Gabriel Hilsaca's father, Alfonso Hilsaca, a businessman accused of financing right-wing paramilitary groups and plotting homicides.
Read more: Who is Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first leftist leader?
The Colombian President has denied knowledge of any conspiracy to smuggle corrupt money into his campaign, and his son's statements to Semana were the first public confirmation of that.
Nicolas stated in the magazine that the president and Roa "did not know that I used part of those contributions for the campaign," adding that "it is important to make that clarification."
The son said his relationships with his father, other family members, and some friends had degraded as a result and that he saw he was "no longer useful to them, and they began to turn their backs on me."
"The situation with my dad has not been good for several months."
The Colombian President has said he recognized the independence of the judiciary in charging his son. Gustavo Petro, speaking to farmers on Saturday, described his son's plight as "terrible and very lamentable."
Following his arrest on allegations of money laundering and unlawful enrichment, Nicolas Petro was handed probation by a judge on Friday.
Daysuris Vasquez, Nicolas' ex-wife, has also accused her ex-husband of stealing money intended for his father's 2022 campaign and using it on himself.
On Monday, Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first leftist President, will complete one year in office.
