Colombian Prosecutor’s Office denies pressure in Nicolás Petro case
Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office denied exerting pressure on the prosecutor in the case of Nicolás Petro Burgos, the son of the country’s president, Gustavo Petro. The agency called the claims by former prosecutor Lucy Marcela Laborde Betancur “subjective interpretations without basis,” The Rio Times reports.
Statements by the former prosecutor
Laborde, who previously handled the proceedings, said in an interview with Semana that Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo had asked her to drop the money laundering charge, leaving only the illicit enrichment charge. According to Laborde, she faced harassment, pressure, and intimidation.
The Attorney General’s Office rejected this version and stated that the prosecutor had not been influenced to withdraw the charges and that her procedural decisions had been respected. The agency’s statement did not contain a separate response to the meeting described by Laborde.
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Explanation regarding her departure from service
Camargo also denied that Laborde had been arbitrarily removed from the case. According to her, the former prosecutor left the service due to the competitive selection procedure for positions at the Prosecutor’s Office: she did not hold the position of a specialized prosecutor and did not take part in the relevant competition.
The defense, for its part, characterizes the disputed meeting as a discussion of a possible change in legal classification within a potential agreement between the prosecution and the defense. No agreement was reached at that time. A court or oversight body has not made a decision on whether Laborde was subjected to pressure.
Status of the proceedings
Nicolás Petro Burgos has been charged with money laundering and illicit enrichment. The case is at the charging stage, and appeal procedures are still ongoing. The trial has not begun because the prosecutor in the case has not yet taken the oath required to participate in it. Petro is presumed innocent until the case is heard by a court.
