An arraignment judge and multiple law experts lambasted Colombia’s prosecution over the arrest of President Gustavo Petro’s son.
Nicolas Petro and his ex-wife Daysuris Vasquez were arrested in the Caribbean port city Barranquilla on Saturday morning and taken to the capital Bogota for the first arraignment hearing.
Son of Colombia’s president arrested on money laundering charges
The judge presiding this hearing ended up scolding prosecutor Mario Burgos for requesting an arraignment without the presence of Vasquez’s defense.
Burgos was ordered to request a new hearing to formalize the arrest, which didn’t happen until Sunday.
Meanwhile, law experts from across the board told Noticias Uno that the highly publicized arrest was “excessive” and “unnecessary.”
According to defense attorney Ivan Cancino, the arrests weren’t justified because neither Petro nor Vasquez posed a risk to the investigation or those involved.
There must be very strong elements that make it possible to foresee a risk of flight or obstruction of justice. At first sight, this is not apparent in this case.
Defense attorney Ivan Cancino
Attorney Miguel Angel del Rio, who has defended people close to Petro, suggested that the arrest was part of a political battle between Prosecutor General Francisco Barbosa and the president.
It is nothing more than the media show and the retaliation of this biased prosecutor’s office that does nothing more than use the criminal law of the enemy, using the institution to attack political enemies.
Defense attorney Miguel Angel del Rio
Barbosa and Burgos earlier this year announced a major wiretapping investigation that implicated the president’s former chief of staff but hasn’t led to a single criminal charge.
To date, the prosecution has yet to reveal evidence that would support the money laundering and illicit enrichment charges against Petro and his former ex-wife.
