Scandal in Colombia: investigation into the financing of the presidential campaign of Gustavo Petro
The Colombian electoral commission has opened an investigation into the financing of the presidential campaign of Gustavo Petro, following the scandal of blackmail, lie detector and illegal wiretapping involving two of his relatives. An audio recording of the ex-ambassador of Colombia in Venezuela, Armando Benedetti, recently relieved of his duties by President Petro, added a new element to this case in the form of a telenovela with drawers.
In this recording, Armando Benedetti threatened the president’s chief of staff, Laura Sarabia, to reveal an alleged illegal financing of the latter’s electoral campaign to the tune of 3.5 million dollars. Following these revelations, the National Electoral Commission announced the opening of a preliminary investigation and summoned the two protagonists of the case for June 13.
President Gustavo Petro denied any involvement in the affair and defended the solidity of his government cabinet. He expressed his refusal to give in to blackmail and reiterated his line of defense through social media. Armando Benedetti claimed that his audios had been manipulated but did not deny their authenticity.
The scandal led to the suspension of the reforms the government was trying to put in place and highlighted the difficulty for President Petro to get his reforms passed in parliament. Eleven months after his election as head of the country, the Colombian president is facing a political crisis that could challenge the country’s stability in the months to come.