Colombia’s president’s son, Gustavo Petro has been arrested by the country’s attorney general for money laundering and unlawful gain.
Nicolas Petro, an Atlantico province politician, was arrested on suspicion of being bribed by drug traffickers to bankroll his father’s peace initiatives and election campaign.
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He has refuted the allegations and welcomed the investigation when it was initiated.
As part of the investigation, the younger Mr Petro’s ex-wife has also been arrested.
President Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing leader, has denied accepting money from drug traffickers and, in March, ordered prosecutors to examine his son.
On Saturday, he stated it was difficult for one of his children to be sent to prison but also he wouldn’t interfere with the investigation.
“I wish my son luck and strength.” “May these events shape his character and cause him to reflect on his own mistakes,” Petro stated.
The allegations against Nicolas, according to the attorney general’s office, stem from unlawful funds diverted from his father’s election campaign last year.
Nicolas and his ex-wife, Daysuris del Carmen Vásquez, are being moved from the Caribbean coast to Bogotá, Colombia’s capital.
Ms Vásquez earlier claimed in local media that her ex-husband received substantial sums of money from drug gangs last year, during the political campaign that culminated to Gustavo Petro’s presidential election triumph.
Colombia’s 60-year internal conflict is thought to have killed approximately 450,000 people.
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As part of his campaign, President Petro committed to negotiate peace or surrender in deals with Colombia’s notorious armed rebel groups and drug cartels, initiatives that have seen occasional success in his first year in office.
A negotiated truce with the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla organisation is slated to begin in August, while talks with the Clan del Golfo, a prominent crime gang, have failed due to continuous violence.
