Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on Friday the departure of two of his closest officials, Laura Sarabia, his chief of staff, and Armando Benedetti, Colombia’s ambassador to Venezuela, due to a scandal involving alleged abuses of power and illegal interceptions.
Sarabia’s removal as chief of staff came after a scandal arose in which Marelbys Meza, Sarabia’s former nanny, reported having been subjected to a polygraph test in a building near the presidential residence. During questioning, she was questioned about an alleged theft of a briefcase containing $7,000 while she was working as a babysitter for the senior official.
On the other hand, Benedetti was also implicated in the scandal when the radio station the w revealed a possible connection of the ambassador to the matter. This connection arose as a result of a dispute between the two officials over government positions.
During a military promotion ceremony this Friday in Bogotá, the president made statements about the future of the two officials and announced that they had been removed from their posts.
“While the investigation is being carried out, my beloved official (Laura Sarabia) and the Venezuelan ambassador are withdrawing from the Government so that from the power that can be had from those positions, one cannot even have the distrust that the processes of The investigation, which does not correspond to us, corresponds to the competent authorities,” said President Petro from the General José María Córdova Military School for Cadets.
The president also reiterated his support for the former official, stating: “I know what has happened around the person who accompanied me to almost all these events and who, in a certain way, was my right hand in my daily management.”
After the official announcement of her departure, Laura Sarabia issued a statement through her Twitter account, stating her willingness to collaborate with the investigations and clarify the facts.
“I will be ready to give all the explanations necessary to clarify the facts and I will fight deeply to defend my reputation, my good name from all the malicious actions that have surrounded all these episodes,” Sarabia declared.
Bendetti also introduced your resignation letter in which he thanked Petro and reiterated his admiration for the president and said that “it was an honor” to follow the process of reestablishment of diplomatic relations with Venezuela“.
Sarabia worked as Benedetti’s personal secretary for seven years, earning the president’s trust during the campaign and eventually holding a senior cabinet post.
The outgoing ambassador played a key role in Petro’s strategy for the presidency. However, sources close to the presidency insist that he could not bear to play a secondary role in the government, sparking a dispute with Sarabia.
Illegal interceptions
To this crisis of the Petro Government were added Thursday’s statements by the Attorney GeneralFrancisco Barbosa, who revealed at a press conference that two former employees of Laura Sarabia, President Gustavo Petro’s chief of staff, were illegally intercepted by members of Police intelligence.
In relation to this, the Colombian president reiterated that no one was ordered to illegally intercept the nanny and stated: “That order has not been given nor will it be given.” Likewise, he counterattacked Barbosa, chosen by former president Iván Duque and a clear opponent of the government.
“We don’t shoot, we don’t do that. The official who tells us about this, that he investigates well, with the same haste that he has to investigate the government polygraphs the next day, with the same haste that he has to see how he captures a paparazzi who He took a video of a journalist who has nothing to do with us, with the same haste he should have raided the houses of the murderers of the Clan del Golfo, whose addresses and proper names he had in his possession,” said Petro.
“The report of the investigations carried out on the systematic assassinations of social leaders and ordinary citizens in the cities of the Caribbean Coast and throughout the country. I have the authorization of the Constitution to request these reports and they do not arrive. The raids come first,” added the president.
Juan Pappier, deputy director for the Americas at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said that they view with concern the “reports of illegal wiretapping” in the country and that “this chronic phenomenon must end.”
“It is urgent to adopt measures to investigate the abuse of investigative and intelligence entities and to review the protocols to authorize telephone interceptions. All those responsible must be brought to justice.” pointed John Pappier on Twitter.
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