The former Colombian president stated that he will remain in the country and denounced threats against his loved ones.
Colombia.- Former President of Colombia Gustavo Petro reappeared publicly to respond to versions regarding a possible departure from the country and rumors pointing to a potential arrest or extradition against him.
Through an Instagram post, Petro assured that he remains in Colombia and has no plans to leave the country permanently, although he clarified that he could leave intermittently.
“I have not disappeared, I have been in the country and I will not leave except intermittently,” wrote the former president.
His pronouncement comes a few days after the arrival to power of President Abelardo de la Espriella, who during the transition process announced actions before oversight bodies for alleged irregularities detected in the previous administration.
Petro rejects a potential arrest
In his message, the former president rejected the versions regarding a possible arrest, extradition, or trial against him and stated that he has not committed any crime. “There will be no extradition or trial against me, because I have not committed any crime,” he maintained.
Petro also asserted that the reports speaking of an eventual arrest are part of a strategy to generate fear among his followers and isolate the progressive movement.
“Their goal is to isolate me and destroy progressivism through fear and the isolation of people,” he/she stated.
The former president called on his supporters to remain united and proposed the construction of a “great Alliance of the people and the world for life”.
Report threats against your family
In his post, Petro also asserted that the versions regarding his legal situation have been accompanied by threats against people in his circle.
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He specifically mentioned his daughter Antonella Petro, whom he claimed had been threatened with legal proceedings and an eventual inclusion on the OFAC list.
“I know how much damage they have done to me with the fake news that I was being captured and extradited. They also threatened my loved ones, my daughter Antonella with legal proceedings and the OFAC list,” he wrote.
Petro maintained that people linked to the Government had also been subject to pressure.
The new Government filed complaints for alleged irregularities
Petro’s statements come in a context of growing political confrontation with the new Government.
President Abelardo de la Espriella and his anti-corruption transition team announced complaints to the Attorney General’s Office, the Comptroller’s Office, and the Inspector General’s Office regarding alleged irregularities detected during the Petro administration.
According to the reports presented by the incoming Government, the cases pointed out would exceed 370 billion Colombian pesos and involve contracting processes in entities such as the Ministry of Defense, the National Protection Unit, and CENIT, a subsidiary of Ecopetrol.
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Among the cases mentioned is the acquisition of 16 anti-drone systems by the Ministry of Defense and CODALTEC, an operation regarding which the transition team pointed out alleged cost overruns.
These complaints correspond to alleged irregularities that must be investigated by the competent authorities and do not imply, in themselves, a conviction against Petro or the officials mentioned.
“Fear must recede”
The former president interpreted the situation as part of a broader political dispute and warned that fear can be used as a tool to paralyze society. “Fear must retreat so as not to let them dominate the country and take our natural resources,” he stated.
Petro also linked fear and misinformation to the rise of fascism and called on his followers not to isolate themselves. “It is not time to isolate ourselves, but to come together,” he wrote.
The former president concluded his message by assuring that, in this new political stage, he only needs “the love of the people and the beauty” of Colombia.
His pronouncement thus opens a new stage of confrontation between the former president, who is emerging as one of the main opposition figures to the new Government, and the De la Espriella administration, which has promised to investigate the alleged irregularities found during the transition process.
