Nicolás Fernando Petro Burgos (born June 21, 1986) is a former Colombian politician and the son of president Gustavo Petro.
Early life
Nicolás Fernando Petro Burgos was born in 1985 or 1986.[1] He is the eldest[2] son of then M-19 guerrilla group member Gustavo Petro.[3] He grew up in the coastal Córdoba Department, raised by his mother and her wealthy parents, while his father spent time in prison and also in hiding.[4]
Personal life
In 2016,[4] Petro started a relationship with government contractor[4]Daysuris Vásquez.[5] They married in a civil ceremony in 2019 and formally married in 2022.[4] Months later, the couple separated after Vásquez accused Petro of an extramarital affair with her closest friend.[2]
The money laundering scandal began when Nicolás Petro's ex-wife Day Vásquez assured to different media that Nicolás had received illegal money qualified by them as dark money coming from people who in the past had sustained links with drug trafficking, Vásquez assured that he asked them for the money saying that it was for Gustavo Petro's presidential campaign of 2022, but finally those resources were kept by Nicolás and he already had plans.[9][10]
Later, the Attorney General's Office opened a disciplinary investigation against Nicolás for alleged money laundering.[11] On July 29, 2023,[12] Petro and Vásquez were arrested while being accused of money laundering and illegal enrichment.[3][13] President Petro had invited the investigation into his son,[14] which commenced in March 2023.[12] On August 1, 2023, Petro pled not guilty to the charges.[15] After agreeing to cooperate with investigators,[16] he was released on house arrest the same week.[6]