The allegations are the latest in a wave of scandals marring the Petro presidency
Colombia’s National Electoral Council (CNE) has officially requested an investigation into Gustavo Petro’s 2022 presidential election campaign, alleging breaches of financing limits. Seven out of nine magistrates in the regulatory body voted in favour of an investigation into the president and his former campaign manager, Ricardo Roa.
The Colombian head of state took to X to denounce the move as politically charged, writing the coup has begun. This is a common theme of his and a card he often reaches for when facing trouble.
The CNE found that Petro’s 2022 campaign exceeded the permitted spending limit by COP$5.3 billion (USD$1.27 million).
In addition to naming Petro and Roa, the CNE also fingered three other campaign officials, as well as the Colombia Humana movement and Union Patriotica (UP) party.
They report that most of the illegal financing occurred in the first round of the election, with the campaign spending about 3.7 billion pesos (USD$882,000). They also allege that Petro may have received prohibited donations from large unions including the principal bodies representing oil workers and teachers.
If the investigation proceeds, Petro’s case will be considered by the accusation committee in the lower house of congress, constitutionally tasked with investigating presidents.
Roa, who now serves as chief executive of Colombian state-owned energy company Ecopetrol, would be investigated by the attorney general’s office.
No president has been indicted by the accusation committee since the constitution was introduced more than 30 years ago, and Petro’s coalition currently possesses a majority of the seats in the body.
The president maintains his innocence and claims the investigation is part of a plot to oust him from power. Sergio Guzmán, Director of Colombia Risk Analysis, a political consultancy, explained that the Petro administration has been opaque about the specific claims, instead choosing to politicise the matter.
He commented, “Instead of being open and transparent, the government has been much more obscure and has been trying to politicise the process even more.”
Guzmán also noted that this behaviour is not unusual for Petro. “The president is trying to rally people to come to his defence, something that he has been trying to do since his first day in office.”
Petro previously alleged a coup was being planned against him in August when the Council of State’s Advisory and Civil Service Chamber – a body within the judiciary that offers legal opinions on public administration – ruled that the CNE had the power to carry out their administrative investigation into his campaign finances.
In recent weeks he has also speculated about attempts to assassinate him and remove him from power as his government continues to attract negative headlines. Guzmán notes, “this is not necessarily different than the Petro we’ve seen behave over these past two years, but it’s certainly more aggressive.”