Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Photo: Nelson Cárdenas/Presidency of the Republic.
This Thursday, March 2, the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, requested that the Prosecutor’s Office begin investigations against his brother, Juan Fernando Petro Urrego, and his eldest son, Nicolás Petro Burgos, aimed at examining rumors about an alleged plot in which some lawyers, claiming to speak on behalf of the government, attempt to extort incarcerated citizens seeking to join the Petro government’s “total peace” policy.
“Last August 7, I made a commitment to Colombian men and women,” Petro said in a statement published via social media. “I have a responsibility to be loyal to the vote that many of you have placed in me. Due to the rumored information in public opinion about my brother, Juan Fernando Petro Urrego, and my eldest son, Nicolás Petro Burgos, I ask the Attorney General of the nation to carry out all the necessary investigations and determine possible responsibilities.”
Comunicado a la opinión pública: pic.twitter.com/erVs8bJx4r
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) March 2, 2023
Petro noted that the only person who is qualified to contact organizations affiliated with efforts to build total peace in the country is High Commissioner for Peace Danilo Rueda.
“My government will not grant benefits to criminals in exchange for bribes,” the president stated. “On the contrary, we are participating in the construction of legal mechanisms so that these groups outside the law take refuge in justice, make reparation to the victims, and stop the violence in the cities and other territories. The protection of life is a priority.”
“My commitment to Colombia and to Colombians is to achieve peace,” he added, “and whoever wants to interfere in that goal or take personal advantage of it has no place in the government, even if they are members of my family. I trust that my brother and my son can prove their innocence, but I will respect the conclusions reached by the justice system.”
At the end of January, Juan Fernando Petro stated that the accused lawyers were using his name to ask drug traffickers for money in exchange for meetings to advance “total peace” efforts.
Senate Approves Petro Government’s ‘Total Peace’ Law in Colombia
“They are using my name,” the president’s brother stated at that time, quoted by Blu Radio Colombia. “I say it honestly: they use my name, under the rope, to make negotiations of all kinds. I’ve heard of people using my name to do business because, of course, I’m the president’s brother. On top of that, they pay money to make appointments with me. All of that exhausted me, and that’s why I withdrew from everything. How could they, just like that, pay from 20-800 million pesos?”
(Últimas Noticias) by Ariadna Eljuri
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/AU/KZ
