The Prosecutor's Office considers that the son of the president of Colombia committed the crime of illicit enrichment

The Colombian Prosecutor's Office considered this Tuesday that Nicolás Petro Burgos, the eldest son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, committed the crime of illicit enrichment in the allegations of the public hearing to charge charges that is taking place in Bogotá.

“There is no doubt that you are immersed in the conduct of illicit enrichment of a public servant,” the first prosecutor delegated to the Superior Court of Bogotá, Mario Burgos, told the president's son.

The prosecutor questioned on Tuesday the expenses and income of Petro Burgos, arrested last Saturday in Barranquilla along with his ex-wife Daysuris Vásquez, for the possible crime of money laundering and illicit enrichment.

According to the prosecutor, Petro Burgos, who is a deputy of the Assembly of the Department of the Atlantic, had in the last two years income of 220 million pesos (about 54,000 dollars at today's exchange rate), but spent 1,600 million pesos (almost 399,000 dollars ).

UNJUSTIFIED INCOME

The prosecutor reviewed all of Nicolás Petro's bank accounts and their balances, questioning the amount of money he accumulated and considering that his only source of income was as a public servant (regional deputy), who has a salary of “13 million pesos per month (3,200 dollars)”.

To justify his monthly expenses, the detainee would have to earn about 200 million pesos (almost $50,000) per month, according to the calculations presented by the accuser.

The son of the Colombian president was arrested as part of an investigation launched last March by the Prosecutor's Office after his ex-wife, also arrested, revealed to the press that Nicolás Petro received illegal money for his father's campaign, which ultimately never arrived. to his destination because he used it to increase the coffers of his patrimony.

“You only had 280 million pesos (about 70,000 dollars) by 2022” with your salary as a deputy, “and despite them you took out some 600 million (about 150,000 dollars) in cash to buy a house,” added the prosecutor in the first part of the hearing, in which he focused on the possible crime of illicit enrichment, leaving money laundering for later.

HIGH EXPENSES

The prosecutor also made a detailed account of the expenses of President Petro's son in recent years, such as house purchases, rent payments, purchase of vehicles and brand items.

“You do not have, and it was demonstrated, any other economic activity that generates income; in your income statements submitted for the years 2020 and 2021, you stated that you only had income derived from your work as a deputy,” added Burgos.

In the opinion of the prosecutor, it is concluded that the assets of Petro Burgos “is not the result or fruit of his work, but of constant clandestine and irregular income from 2021 to the end of 2022.”

About Vásquez, the prosecutor said that “she hid, managed and guarded these illicitly enriched assets to launder them”, and for this reason she was also arrested for the crimes of money laundering and violation of personal data.