Bogotá .- Former President of Colombia Gustavo Petro requested authorization from the national Senate this Tuesday to leave the country during the coming year, as established by the Constitution, which requires permission from the Upper House for all former heads of state to leave the national territory once they leave office.
“In compliance with the provisions of numeral 3 of article 173 of the Political Constitution of Colombia and article 323 of Law 5 of 1992 (Congress Regulations), I am writing to you to respectfully request the prior authorization of the Plenary of the Senate of the Republic to leave the national territory,” says Petro’s letter.
The leftist, who left power on August 7 when the far-right Abelardo de la Espriella took office, indicated that his departure, following the authorization, will have the purpose of “attending to personal, social, political, and academic commitments outside the country” throughout the year following the end of his duties as president.
Judicial proceedings against Petro in Colombia
More than a hundred judicial proceedings are pending against Petro, which are currently underway in the Accusations Committee of the House of Representatives, the legislative body in charge of investigating high-ranking officials in Colombia, including the President of the Republic and former heads of state.
Such judicial and disciplinary actions mainly cover alleged irregularities in the financing of his 2022 electoral campaign and dozens of inquiries into his alleged improper participation in politics during this year’s electoral period, which ended on June 21 with the election of De la Espriella.
