Gustavo Petro is under investigation for possible illegal financing

The Commission on Impeachment of the House of Representatives of Colombia, the only body authorized to investigate the president, continues the investigation this Monday until Colombian President Gustavo Petro, due to the possible illegal financing of his election campaign.

After rejecting four objections filed, among others, by members of the ruling Historical Pact party, the Investigative-Prosecution Legal Committee of the Chamber will continue the investigative procedure on December 11 due to alleged illegal financing and cost overruns of the campaign.

The whole case started last June when several journalistic publications revealed audio recordings of the former ambassador to Venezuela and one of the people closest to Petro during the campaign. Armando Benedettiwhere he talked about some money that could have gone to the campaign.

In an audio recording sent to former chief of staff Laura Sarabia, the former ambassador says he raised the “15,000 million pesos” (about $37 million at today’s exchange rate) for Peter’s campaign and tells her that if she speaks up and counts those who financed his beach trip Atlantic, everyone will end up in prison.

All of this was the subject of an investigation that later led to the arrest of the president’s son Nicolás Petra for illicit enrichment and money laundering in a case where the financing of the campaign that brought Petra to the presidency was also questioned.

The prosecution arrested Nicolás Petr and his ex-wife Daysuris Vásquez, but he had to refrain from investigating Peter, because it exceeded his authority, so he called on House impeachment committee notice.

This is in addition to a lawsuit already filed by a dozen prosecutors, including two opposition congressmen, to investigate Petro and possible irregular campaign financing.

Now, in order to continue the investigation, the Commission for this phase, which is still preliminary and will be conducted in a confidential manner, has asked various organizations for the evidence and processes they have to continue the investigation.

Thus, for example, the Prosecutor’s Office is requested to forward “all active processes in the entity related to the presidential campaign”, and “especially those investigations conducted against Daysuris del Carmen Vásquez, Nicolás Petro Burgos, Ricardo Roa, campaign manager” and current president of Ecopetrol

For his part, he is asking the Supreme Court for possible investigations into the campaign; Procedures for disciplinary violations during the campaign to the State Attorney’s Office; Also to the comptroller’s office are “active fiscal responsibility processes” related to the campaign, and to the Board of Elections a report on campaign limits, registered accounts and other technical documents.

Also from Semana Magazin, one of the media that exposed the scandal, they are asking for news about the alleged illegal financing and “the source from which Armando Alberto Benedetti’s WhatsApp audio recordings were obtained”, and from the Taxation and Customs Administration (DIAN) Petro’s income tax returns.

The commission is not considering subpoenaing the president or anyone else involved in the case at this time.