Nicolás Petro lives hours of uncertainty. The eldest of the six children of Gustavo Petro can go down in history like other children of presidents who took advantage of his father’s position to enrich themselves. Nicolás has been accused by his ex-partner of charging large sums of money from businessmen for the campaign on behalf of the Petro political movement that in truth was kept for himself. At that electoral time he bought a luxury house. He has come out this Sunday to defend himself and show cooperation with justice. In reality, he has no other option, the State Attorney General’s Office has been investigating him since Friday at the request of his father, who has made it clear in public that no one will use the name of the presidency to do business.
“I clarify to public opinion and the media that the money in question does not come from the mafia or corruption, or from any illegal activity, it is what I will corroborate before the courts, as appropriate,” he wrote in a statement that has spread through their social networks. In the text he assures that he will not participate in the next campaign for the regional elections to be held in October, in which mayors and governors will be elected. Nicolás has the same job as his father, he is a senator for the Atlantic, a regional chamber.
Nicolás’ lifestyle does not correspond to his income, as published this Sunday by Cambio magazine. He receives a salary as a senator of $3,300, but his bank statements reflect expenses of nearly $8,000. He allocates the money to jewelry, luxury hotels or designer clothes. Semana magazine has published the WhatsApp chats that he exchanged with his partner until recently, Day Vásquez, and there it is clear that he received a lot of money in cash that he allocated to a house and that he tried to hide by moving it between friends and relatives. In the chats it is discovered that Nicolás hid his purchase from his mother, who was Petro’s first partner. At that time, the president was a guerrilla member of the M-19, and in fact he was in prison when Nicolás was born.
The 34-year-old boy feels he is the victim of an “unprecedented” social and media lynching, although in reality there are many. “I have been tried and convicted, my fundamental rights such as the presumption of innocence and due process have been violated, where people who I considered friends to whom I extended my hand have turned their backs on me,” he laments. In that excerpt he makes a clear reference to Vásquez, who has disclosed that Nicolás received money from people close to drug trafficking and smuggling who he believed would receive presidential favors in the future.
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This family scandal has capped a horrible week for the president. On Monday he ousted three ministers, including Alejandro Gaviria, a highly popular politician who gave his government an image of moderation. In the days that followed, he saw his popularity plummet and he received several legal setbacks. In addition, the country experienced anguish over the retention of dozens of police officers in the Caquetá region, in a confusing event in which an agent and a farmer died. Petro has lived his seven stormiest days since he took the reins of the nation.
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