Armando Benedetti has asserted that his abuse of President Gustavo Petro and, until recently, his number two, Laura Sarabia, was the result of anger and alcohol. However, his words triggered a political earthquake in Colombia, the extent of which is difficult to assess at this time. He has since felt intimidated and has just asked prosecutors to protect him and his family as he is receiving direct and indirect threats “from very powerful people”. “The threats are very serious, they were directed against me personally,” Benedetti told this newspaper.
The former ambassador to Venezuela was ousted from his post over a conspiracy against Sarabia, Petro’s right-hand man. He did not like the sacking and gave two interviews in which he implied that Petro’s campaign, which he led, had been bloated by irregular funding. He hinted that both he and the President had a problem with cocaine. In some released WhatsApp audios, he goes even further and even says that if he spoke, they would all end up in jail. The prosecutor took over the case.
Benedetti had been silent for 36 hours, justifying his bravery with alcohol and displeasure at his political repression. He and Sarabia, who reported to him at the time, formed the hard core of the left-wing campaign and were behind all the major supporters and mobilizations that eventually carried Petro to the presidency. Benedetti intended to be appointed minister or some other Petro-related position, but was sent to Venezuela as ambassador because he was being pursued by various legal cases that could harm the government. Benedetti considered it an exile. Sarabia, on the other hand, stayed with Petro, literally in the office next door.
This disparity in treatment sapped the ambassador for months, who tried to return to a relevant position in Bogotá almost a year later. According to him, Petro and Sarabia set him on fire with gas and left him to his fate. It is believed he was the one who leaked to Semana magazine that Sarabia’s nanny had been subjected to a lie detector test on suspicion of stealing a briefcase containing money from her boss. Benedetti continued to spread the suspicion on Twitter, questioning the origin of the money and suggesting that Sarabia had tapped phones. Prosecutors verified that this was the case and found that the babysitter’s phone had been tapped during the robbery investigation. It was the beginning of the end for Sarabia, whom they accuse of abusing power, and also for Benedetti, who was plotting in secret.
She left discreetly and thanked Petro for his support over those months, but he has lifted the cloak of suspicion of the President. His words have sparked the biggest government crisis of these ten months. The opposition took the opportunity to call for the President’s dismissal and a thorough investigation into the incidents. Prosecutor Francisco Barbosa has launched some investigations, disproportionately calling this the worst human rights case in Colombia. From his post, Barbosa is a clear opponent of the president.
Benedetti says he has evidence of the threats that led him to ask for protection. The politician was photographed this Wednesday with a leather jacket, black hat and suitcase at a gate at Bogotá Airport. Some journalists reported that he left the country because he felt his life was threatened, but he denied this, saying he was traveling to Europe for family reasons. He’ll be back in a few days. Just around the corner is the political chaos he helped create.
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