Colombia's Ex-President Petro Accused of Trading Contracts for Sex: Accuser Testifies and Hands Over Phone as Petro Denies the Claims
BOGOTA — Former Colombian President Gustavo Petro is facing serious allegations that he exchanged government contracts for sex, with the Attorney General's Office, the Inspector General's Office and the Supreme Court all now involved. Petro, whose term ended in August, denies the claims, calls them politically motivated and says he will defend himself in court.
The allegations come from Deicy Jimenez, 26. She told the Colombian magazine Semana that she met Petro in 2019, when he was a senator, on an adult website and later received government contracts, and that she was part of a network of between 30 and 40 women who received contracts in exchange for sexual favours, procuring drugs and accompanying Petro to parties. She says she received as many as ten contracts between 2021 and 2026 from bodies including the Senate, the Ministry of Interior and the Administrative Department of the Presidency; ten contracts in her name can also be found in SECOP, Colombia's public contracts database.
On the judicial side, Colombia's Supreme Court decided on October 28 to accept for review complaints against Petro and Senator Maria Jose Pizarro. Jimenez appeared before the Supreme Court last week to denounce the former president. On November 6 she testified before the Attorney General's Office and handed in her phone for investigators to examine. The same day she shared a screenshot purporting to show a chat with Petro in which he asks for her contract with the Ministry of the Interior to be renewed. Earlier, on Wednesday, she had shared a 55-second video showing her with Petro in a private room, in which Petro strokes the back of her head and kisses her on the cheek; when and where the video was recorded remains unknown.
Petro responded on X: 'I never used a government contract to obtain favors from anyone.' He said the video contains no contract, no payment and no government decision, and so does not prove corruption, adding that media trials always come before court trials and that he will face this one before the judges with the truth. He also said he will comply with a gag order issued by the presiding judge.
Politically, the Salvacion Nacional party, affiliated with President Abelardo de la Espriella, has formally denounced Petro and called for a congressional investigation. Petro's Historic Pact remains Colombia's main opposition party; its leader, Senator Ivan Cepeda, said in a statement on November 6 that the party does not tolerate any form of corruption, while calling for due process to be respected.
The allegations have not been adjudicated by any court, and the investigations are ongoing.
(Source: Colombia's Attorney General's Office)
Source: Colombia's Attorney General's Office
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：哥伦比亚前总统佩特罗官方肖像（资料图，已裁为宽幅）。哥伦比亚总统府官方摄影，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Official portrait of former Colombian President Gustavo Petro (file photo, cropped to a wide format). By the Presidency of Colombia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
