Colombia: campaign finance scandal, President Petro is directly implicated
Colombian President Gustavo Petro is at the center of a campaign finance scandal. The Colombian Electoral Commission opened an investigation on June 5, 2023 into President Gustavo Petro’s campaign financing. So far, relatives of the head of state have been involved in the scandal. However, recordings of the former Colombian ambassador to Venezuela, Armando Benedetti, led to the opening of this investigation. This new explosion took the form of a telenovela with drawers. Armando Benedetti is an old hand in Colombian politics and played a key role in the victory of the first left-wing president in the country’s history in the summer of 2022.
According to the transcript drawn up by the conservative weekly Semana, Armando Benedetti allegedly threatened the president’s chief of staff, Laura Sarabia, accusing her of having illegally financed Gustavo Petro’s campaign to the tune of 3.5 million dollars. The National Electoral Commission (CNE) announced the opening of a preliminary investigation and summoned for June 13 the two protagonists of the case, Armando Benedetti and Laura Sarabia. The CNE also asked the weekly Semana for the full audio recordings.
President Petro has stepped up to denounce a discredit campaign aimed at destabilizing him and discrediting his mandate. Faced with these accusations, he declared: “No member of the government cabinet, nor director or commander of the security forces, nor director of the intelligence apparatuses ordered telephone interceptions, nor illegal searches, nor accepted blackmail at the about public office or contracts, or received campaign money from people connected to drug traffickers”. However, all of these events are tarnishing the image of the Colombian president who, 11 months after his election, is encountering many difficulties in getting his reforms adopted in Parliament.
The scandal involving people close to Gustavo Petro has also caused the suspension of discussions on the reforms that the Colombian government has been trying for months to pass according to the speaker of the Lower House, David Racero, a supporter of President Petro.
This campaign finance scandal could damage the image of Colombia and call into question the legitimacy of President Petro. The continuation of the investigation will make it possible to know if the Colombian president is indeed involved in this affair.
Sources:
– https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2023/06/05/colombie-ouverture-d-une-enquete-sur-le- financement-de-la-campagne-du-president-petro_5932211_3210.html
– https://www.bfmtv.com/international/amerique-latine/colombie-le-president-petro-mis-en-cause-dans-un-scandale-de- financement-de-campagne_AN-202306050222