Laura Sarabia, 29, chief of staff to President Gustavo Petro, during an interview at the Palacio de Nariño in Bogotá, Colombia, May 12, 2023. Santiago Mesa
Nanny Marelbys Meza was subjected to a lie detector test in January for stealing thousands of dollars from the home of her then-employer and Colombian chief of staff, Laura Sarabia. The case shocked public opinion when it was exposed in Semana magazine in May and contributed to the downfall of President Gustavo Petro’s right-hand man. Far from media attention, Sarabia reserved the details of his version of events for when he testified before prosecutors, which took place on Wednesday. His lawyer told Caracol Radio on Thursday that the robbery included several official documents belonging to the President of the Republic. It was not just a personal loss but a national security issue, he claimed.
Sarabia reiterated that the amount of money stolen was US$7,000 (about 30 million pesos). According to his version, it was not the more than $35,000 (150 million pesos) that former ambassador Armando Benedetti mentioned in leaked audio recordings. And even less half a million dollars belonging to the president, as a source reserved for Semana magazine assured a few days ago. The former chief of staff assures that the money came from the overnight allowance she received for business trips to Europe and that she was using it to pay off some debts on her credit card.
The defense provided the prosecutor with some bank documents showing Sarabia had to apply for a 50 million pesos ($12,000) loan after the robbery. The attorney wishes to state that it is not plausible that a person in need of a loan is someone who has easy access to thousands or millions of dollars.
The former chief of staff also reported that the thief took the money and official documents in a black bag. The briefcase, which contained the tickets and which also contained clothing, was never stolen and is still in her possession with the former officer.
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The fall of Sarabia was a severe blow to Gustavo Petro’s government. Not only because of the use of a lie detector, which the presidency justified from the start with the argument that the logs indicated that it was used when someone close to the president was robbed. The biggest problem was the allegations of illegal wiretapping of two employees and the explosive and careless manner in which the revelations were gradually made.
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Benedetti’s audio recordings showed the violence with which the former ambassador regularly addressed his former adviser, who was part of his team when he was a senator. He was beside himself with jealousy that she now had more power. “You’re worth nothing”, “I still haven’t treated anyone as badly as I can”, “Now I’m threatening you”, “Idiot”, “You owe me everything, everything!”, “You are a Ridiculous in front of people from all over the world,” were some of the phrases he said to her.
Both Benedetti and Sarabia left the government three weeks ago. “While the investigation is ongoing, my dear and esteemed official and the Venezuelan ambassador are retiring from the government,” Petro announced in an act of promoting army officers. The former ambassador at one point threatened further disclosures related to the funding of last year’s presidential campaign. But then he said he spoke because of “anger and drunkenness” and remained silent. This Friday, however, the public prosecutor’s office is waiting for his presentation of the facts.
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