Former Colombian President Gustavo Petro is under investigation following a complaint filed by a woman accusing him of awarding government contracts in exchange for sexual relations during his time in office, the president of the Supreme Court announced.
Pietro is currently leading the opposition against President Abelardo de la Espriria after serving as president from 2022 until August of this year.
The case reached the Supreme Court after a woman filed a complaint with prosecutors alleging that she and about 30 other women received government contracts in exchange for having sexual relations with Pietro. Petro denies the allegations.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Mauricio Linis told local media, “Some events date back to the period he spent in Congress, while other events date back to the period in which he assumed the presidency.” Lenis added that investigators will reveal “which of the alleged actions have criminal implications, and who may be held responsible for them.”
Finally, Desi Jimenez, who worked as a government contractor, posted a video clip showing herself with Petro following an alleged sexual relationship. The clip, which was widely circulated on social media, shows the two hugging and exchanging kisses. The former president said he would respond to the corruption allegations in court and wrote on “X” that he had never used “a government contract to obtain favors from anyone.”
Before assuming the presidency, Petro held a seat in Congress for five terms between 1991 and 2022. His daughters, Antonella Pietro and Sofia Pietro, issued a statement on Sunday calling on people to avoid causing further harm to the woman who filed the complaint. The statement said: “We are confident that our father, as he previously stated, will appear before the courts without delay.”
This is not the first time that Pietro has been criticized for his behavior towards women, as he previously described a group of female journalists as “mafia puppets.”
Yesterday (Saturday), the Public Prosecution in Paraguay indicted ousted President Santiago Peña, who was placed in pretrial detention against the backdrop of his alleged responsibility in a banking scandal.
Public Prosecutor Nancy Salomon announced, during a press conference, that charges had been brought against the former president related to “breach of trust and management to achieve personal interests.”
The Public Prosecution also requested the arrest and freezing of the assets of Peña and the former Governor of the Central Bank, Carlos Carvalho, who was charged with the same charges.
The 47-year-old conservative president, a close ally of Washington and whose term was supposed to end in 2028, was removed from office the day before yesterday (Friday), after the Senate unanimously approved his conviction against the backdrop of the collapse of the Ueno Bank, according to Agence France-Presse.
After a hearing with Peña, Judge Hernan Otazo told reporters that he ordered the former president to be placed in pretrial detention in the same facility in Asuncion to which he was transferred following his removal from office on Friday.
The banking crisis, which quickly turned into a political crisis, erupted on Tuesday, when the central bank placed the Ueno digital bank, which has flourished in recent years, under guardianship due to its financial crisis.
The central bank's intervention led to the freezing of the deposits of nearly three million people, the bank's declared number of customers, equivalent to almost half of Paraguay's population. The impact also affected companies, institutions and pension funds.
Peña, who has ties to the group that controls the bank, had offered to resign, but lawmakers proceeded with his impeachment with the aim of stripping him of the political immunity he would have enjoyed had he stepped down voluntarily.
He was succeeded in the position by his deputy, Pedro Aliana, pledging not to give up the rights of depositors, thousands of whom went out to protest in the streets, demanding the return of their money.
The Colombian army announced that three soldiers were killed and at least 16 others were injured, following a drone attack targeting a military base in northern Colombia.
The authorities did not reveal who carried out the attack in the small town of Santa Rosa del Sur, located at the foothills of the San Lucas Mountains. The area surrounding the town is rich in gold mines, and has long witnessed a struggle for influence between the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army, and smaller groups led by former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Video clips circulated on social media showed plumes of smoke rising from the military base following three explosions, while soldiers took shelter inside shelters fortified with sandbags.
“Those responsible for this attack... will have nowhere to hide,” President Abelardo de la Espriria said in a post on the X platform on Saturday. Every attack targeting our soldiers increases our resolve to defend Colombia.”
Violence has escalated in a number of rural areas in Colombia since de la Esparilla assumed the presidency last August.
The conservative leader canceled peace talks with the country's remaining rebel groups and took a more confrontational approach that includes launching more air strikes, militarizing some cities, and creating joint task forces to defend strategic assets, including a pipeline running from the Caribbean coast to central Colombia.
Some drug cartels and rebel groups responded by intensifying their attacks on the Colombian armed forces. Last week, a military base in Tolima province was targeted with rockets made from gas canisters, in an attack that killed four civilians. In the border city of Cucuta, police were subjected to multiple attacks using remotely detonated bombs.
