Colombian prosecutors file new charges against President’s son
Tuesday, November 11th 2025 – 08:43 UTC
The new charges add to an already existing case against Petro Burgos
Six new criminal charges were filed on Monday against Nicolás Petro Burgos, the eldest son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, stemming from an alleged corruption scheme during his tenure as a deputy in the Atlántico Departmental Assembly.
During a formal hearing, Prosecutor Lucy Laborde charged Petro Burgos with undue interest in the execution of contracts, embezzlement, influence peddling, falsification of public documents, falsification of private documents, and perjury.
The Attorney General’s Office accuses the President’s son of embezzling 111 million pesos (approximately $29,500) between 2021 and 2022, linked to his management of two contracts signed between the Atlántico Governor’s Office and the Fundación Conciencia Social (Fucoso).
Petro Burgos is charged as an accomplice, who reportedly had no direct functional control over the public funds allegedly used for personal gain.
You took undue interest in these contracts and determined that the foundation would be the contractor in order to serve your personal interests, those of [his ex-wife] Daysuris Vásquez, and those of [foundation representative] Gustavo de la Ossa, Laborde argued.
The prosecution also claimed that Petro Burgos exercised control over the foundation’s hiring process and that staff were granted inflated salaries, the surplus going to him and other defendants. Petro Burgos and Vásquez are also believed to have split an advance payment for the contracts.
These new charges add to the case against Petro Burgos since July 2023, in which he was charged with money laundering and illicit enrichment for allegedly receiving significant sums from drug trafficking and corruption leaders, such as Samuel Santander Lopesierra, who has been convicted of drug trafficking in the United States. Petro Burgos allegedly hid and covered up up to 500 million Colombian pesos (about US$132,000) from these sources.
Further allegations introduced in the new hearing linked Petro Burgos to influence peddling within the National Government. Asked whether money from the initial corruption case went to his father’s 2022 presidential campaign, Petro Burgos said the President was unaware of those maneuvers.
