Colombia’s electoral authority investigates Gustavo Petro for irregularities in the campaign

The electoral authority of Colombia (CNE) decided to initiate an investigation against the president Gustavo Petro for allegedly having violated spending limits in his 2022 campaign. The president denied the accusations and assured that it was an attempt to “coup d’état.”

The president of the National Electoral Council, César Lorduyexplained that both the president and his campaign team “are blamed for alleged violation of the spending limit“, for the equivalent of around $925,000.

If found guilty, you could receive financial fines, but your position will not be at risk. There are experts who point out that the CNE can send a copy of the investigation to the House of Representatives (Lower House) so that the president is impeached.

Among those investigated is Ricardo Roa, Petro campaign manager to come to power in 2022 and current head of the state oil company Ecopetrol, and its treasurer. Also leaders of Human Colombia and Patriotic Unionthe main left-wing political movements in the country.

Gustavo Petro dismissed the investigation against him: “The coup d’état has begun”

However, since the investigation against him began, Petro dismissed the accusations, saying on his social networks that “the coup d’état has begun.”

Later, during a public event, he called on his followers to demonstrate: “The president will go as far as the people say. The time has come to move. They believe they have the right to mock the popular vote and here there is no kneeling people“, said.

The magistrate Lorduy He added that from now on those investigated may “exercise the right of defense and contradiction” before the organism.

According to a statement from CNE, the campaign would have decided “skip the report” of some expenses for electoral propaganda.

Petro maintains that the CNE has a bias, since some of its magistrates are close to right-wing parties.

Petro is being investigated for the funds used during the campaign

Suspicions over the alleged violations of the limits established by law grew in July of last year, when the president’s eldest son, Nicolás Petro, admitted to the prosecutor’s office that he received money from a drug lord and used it in some campaign events in the Caribbean coast.

According to the investigations carried out so far by the CNE, Petro’s team did not report expenses incurred to organize mass meetings with followers on the Caribbean coast, a traditionally right-wing region but which in the last election catapulted the leftist to the presidency.