WASHINGTON – The United states has imposed sanctions on gustavo petro, the president of Colombia, and his son, Nicolás Petro, amid allegations of illicit financial dealings connected to the president’s 2022 election campaign. The sanctions,announced this week,represent a notable escalation in tensions between the two countries and raise questions about the future of U.S.-Colombia relations.
The U.S. Treasury Department stated Nicolás Petro was arrested in Colombia in 2023 “for money laundering and illicit enrichment due to accusations that he funneled money received from drug traffickers into the ‘total peace’ efforts of Gustavo Petro and his election campaign.” Nicolás Petro has refuted these accusations, stating the prosecutor declared the case unrelated to drug trafficking or the presidential campaign. The move follows former President trump’s claim that he halted “all payments” to Colombia and the revocation of Petro’s U.S. visa after last month’s UN General Assembly.
According to CNN reporting, the sanctions were imposed days after Trump made his statement regarding payments to Colombia. The U.S. State Department revoked Petro’s visa at the conclusion of the UN General Assembly session last month. CNN has reached out to the Colombian presidency for comment.
Colombian Interior Minister armando Benedetti criticized the sanctions in a post on X, stating, “I have never entered the house of a single drug trafficker.” He further added, “For the United States, a nonviolent statement is the same as being a drug trafficker. Gringos, go home.”
Nicolás Petro described the measure as ”unprecedented political and judicial persecution” in a publication, adding that he “will go to international organizations to defend his rights.”
