The whole country shakes! President's son arrested for money laundering and illegal income | Nicholas Petro | National
According to a report by Efi on July 29th, Nicolas Petro, the eldest son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, has been arrested on suspicion of money laundering and earning illegal income. As the president was still in office for less than a year, this event shook the Colombian government and the entire country.
According to reports, Nicolas Petro was arrested by the prosecutor's office in the capital of Atlantic Province, Barankia, on the 29th. The prosecutor's office also arrested his ex-wife, Desurias Basquez. At the beginning of this year, Basque accused Nicholas Petro of accepting a huge donation from a drug dealer for his father Petro's campaign and using the money as his own.
The prosecutor's office stated in a statement that Nicolas Petro was arrested on "suspicion of money laundering and earning illegal income", while DeSuris Basque was arrested on "suspicion of money laundering and infringement of personal information since 2022".
These two people were transferred from Barankia to the prosecutor's office in Bogot á today. They will wait there for the trial arranged by the judge.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his eldest son Nicolas Petro
![The whole country shakes! President's son arrested for money laundering and illegal income | Nicholas Petro | National](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/9f736044fde2c2d7f96b968f41ed3539.jpg)
The report also stated that after learning of this news, Petro said, "As a father, I am very saddened to see a son self destruct and imprisoned like this. As the President of the Republic, I assure the prosecution that I will fully cooperate with the relevant legal procedures."
Nicolas Petro was born in 1986 in Shenaga de Oro, Cordoba Province. That is also the hometown of his father Petro.
Although Nicolas Petro did not grow up with his father, he inherited his father's love for politics. In 2019, he became a candidate for Governor of the Atlantic Province, although he was not elected, he won a seat in the provincial council.
The report points out that theoretically, the arrest of Nicolas Petro will not directly affect President Petro, but this scandal may further weaken his government. With three months left until the municipal and regional elections in October, Petro lacks a majority advantage in the seats, making it impossible for his reform measures to be passed in Congress.