Colombia investigates ex-president Petro over sex scandal, top court says
Supreme Court investigates Gustavo Petro amid explosive sexual misconduct claims
Colombia's leftist former president, Gustavo Petro, is facing an investigation after a woman accused him of trading sexual favours for government contracts while in office, the Supreme Court chief said Saturday.
Petro leads the opposition to President Abelardo de la Espriella and previously served as president from 2022 until August of this year.
The case reached the high court after a woman filed a complaint with prosecutors alleging that she and approximately 30 others received government contracts in exchange for having sexual relationships with Petro.
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He denies the allegations.
Supreme Court chief Mauricio Lenis told local media that "some of the events date to his time in Congress and others to his time as president."
Investigators will disclose "which of the alleged acts have criminal implications and who may be held responsible," Lenis added, referring to the confidential inquiry the court is conducting with prosecutors.
Recently, former government contractor Deicy Jimenez shared a video showing her with Petro after an alleged sexual encounter. The video, which went viral on social media, shows the two embracing and kissing passionately.
The former president said he would answer the corruption allegations in court and wrote on X that he had never used "a government contract to obtain favors from anyone."
Before the presidency, Petro served five terms in Congress between 1991 and 2022.
His daughters, Antonella Petro and Sofia Petro, issued a statement Sunday urging people to avoid causing further harm to the woman who filed the complaint.
"We trust that our father, as he has already said, will appear before the courts without delay," the statement said.
The former president's conduct toward women has come under scrutiny before. He once called a group of female journalists "mafia dolls."
Memes supporting Petro have gone viral on social media, pairing photos of the former president with captions such as "let's practice the politics of love" and "the right doesn't have sex."
