Bogota, Colombia (AP) – Colombia’s constitutional court on Thursday blocked allegations of an election agency investigating illegal campaign financing and unreported spending by President Gustavo Petro and brought legal victories to full-fled left-wing leaders.
The court ruled that only Congress could investigate alleged violations in the financing of Petro’s 2022 campaign. Petro denied any financial misconduct.
The ruling records the National Election Commission’s investigation into whether PETRO’s campaign exceeded the fundraising limit of about $1.2 million and whether it received funding from the Labor Organization, which was prohibited by Colombian law.
The Council is an administrative body that oversees the election process and oversees campaign financing. It can also impose administrative sanctions, such as high fines against campaigners.
The court ordered the Election Council to forward its investigation to the House of Representatives in Colombia.
It is not clear whether lawmakers will file the case. Despite oil’s frequent clash with Congress, lawmakers never removed the President of Colombia from office, even in the face of public pressure, investigators showed strong public pressure when they showed then-President Ernesto Samper’s connection to the drug cartel financing in 1996.
Petro’s harsh criticism of the Election Commission was politically motivated to open another front in the battle with the country’s courts, which overturned some of his key decrees and appointments.
Election Commission officials plan to review campaign contributions from unions such as public school teachers and oil workers’ unions, and Petro’s campaign is allegedly failing to report.
Petro appreciated the court’s ruling on Thursday.
He posted on social media platform X: “Do a great job with the Constitutional Court.”
This is just the latest in the Petro campaign’s scandal to raise funds.
The Attorney General’s Office has also been investigating Pietro’s son Nicolás alleged that the campaign received funds from criminal sources, including the notorious former drug trafficker.
