Nicolás Petro in January 2023, in a photo from social networks.
Criminal lawyer David Teleki announced on Friday his resignation from the defense of Nicolás, the eldest son of President Gustavo Petro, who is accused of crimes of illicit enrichment and money laundering. In a statement published on his social networks, the lawyer assured that the reasons for his resignation were of a “personal nature” and had been accepted by his client.
Teleki’s resignation comes a month after the resignation of Petro Burgos’ first representative, Juan Trujillo, due to “different criteria” that prevented him from continuing to lead the case. Trujillo’s decision was announced a day after Petro announced his intention to cooperate with prosecutors in the case against him. The lawyer stated in an interview with W Radio that he disagrees with this approach.
Nicolás Petro is accused of receiving large sums of money in 2022 from former drug trafficker Samuel Santander Lopesierra, known as “The Marlboro Man,” and contractor Alfonso El Turco Hilsaca, who allegedly had ties to paramilitary groups. The president’s first-born son allegedly told them that this money was intended to finance his father’s presidential campaign, which ultimately won the election, but prosecutors allege that he appropriated it to treat himself to eccentric luxuries. Petro Burgos later said in an interview in Semana that some of the money actually went to the campaign, but he could not prove this.
With the agreement, Petro Burgos was released on August 4 after a week in detention. He remains free under the conditions of remaining in Barranquilla, the city where he resides; did not take part in any political activity, which is why he had to resign from his position as department representative of his father’s party; and have no contact with the people involved in the case against them. Along with announcing his resignation, Teleki added: “As Dr. “As Petro Burgos continues to enjoy an unbeatable legal situation of freedom, I wish him the best of luck, regardless of the path he chooses or his defense strategy.”
Unlike the previous replacement, this time Petro Burgos did not mention any change in his defensive strategy. Instead, he thanked Teleki for its support in the process and said he understood the reasons for his resignation. “In the next few days I will decide who my lawyer will be,” he concluded.
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