Colombia · JUSTICE
Key Facts
- —What happened Colombia’s Attorney-General’s Office denied pressuring the prosecutor in Nicolás Petro’s case.
- —The accusation Former prosecutor Lucy Laborde said Attorney-General Camargo asked her to drop the money-laundering charge.
- —The official line Camargo said Laborde left because she did not sit a competitive exam, not because she was removed.
- —The catch No court or oversight body has ruled on whether any pressure occurred.
- —Case status Nicolás Petro, son of President Gustavo Petro, faces money-laundering and illicit-enrichment charges.
- —What comes next The case awaits appeals rulings and a prosecutor to be sworn in for trial.
The Attorney-General’s Office calls the allegations subjective, while the former prosecutor insists she faced pressure over the money-laundering charge.
Colombia’s Attorney-General’s Office has denied any pressure in the Nicolás Petro case, responding to allegations from the prosecutor who once handled it. The office said the claims were subjective interpretations with no supporting basis, according to Caracol Radio.
The Denial in the Nicolás Petro Case
However, Colombia’s Attorney-General’s Office denied pressuring the prosecutor in Nicolás Petro Burgos’s money-laundering case. Caracol Radio reported the denial on Sunday 23 August 2026.
The office called the allegations «interpretaciones subjetivas sin sustento» — subjective interpretations with no supporting basis. In addition, it said the prosecutor was never influenced to withdraw charges and that her decisions were respected.
The denial came after the former prosecutor’s account surfaced in the media. However, the office’s statement did not address the specific meeting described by Laborde.
However, the denial did not mention the former prosecutor’s specific allegation. The office’s statement focused on the case’s formal accusation.
Who Is Involved
Luz Adriana Camargo is the Fiscal General de la Nación, Colombia’s Attorney-General, and head of the office named in this dispute. Lucy Marcela Laborde Betancourt is the former prosecutor who held the case and made the allegations.
Nicolás Petro Burgos is a son of Colombian president Gustavo Petro. He faces charges of money laundering and illicit enrichment, and no court has ruled.
Camargo, as Attorney-General, oversees the office that denied the pressure allegations. Meanwhile, Laborde is the former prosecutor who made the accusations, and Petro is the accused son of the president.
Lucy Laborde appears only as the prosecutor who held the case and later as a former prosecutor. Luz Adriana Camargo appears only as the Attorney-General.
The Former Prosecutor’s Account
In an interview with Semana, Lucy Laborde said Luz Adriana Camargo asked her to drop the money-laundering charge, leaving only illicit enrichment. However, Camargo is the Attorney-General.
However, she did not say why. She said she had been «perseguida, presionada y acosada» — persecuted, pressured and harassed.
This is her own account, and the Attorney-General’s Office rejects it. The office insists her decisions were respected and that she was never influenced.
Laborde’s account, reported by Semana, described a request to drop the money-laundering charge. However, the Attorney-General’s Office rejects this version of events.
Laborde’s account, however, is one side of the story. The Attorney-General’s Office rejects it, and no court has ruled on the matter.
The Official Explanation for Departure
Camargo denied that Lucy Laborde had been arbitrarily taken off the case, saying «no se le retiró» — she was not removed. Instead, her departure followed a concurso de méritos, a competitive public examination that Colombian state bodies must run to fill career posts.
Camargo said Lucy Laborde did not hold a specialised-prosecutor post, did not sit the exam, and therefore left the service. Caracol Radio carried the same explanation.
The office explained Laborde’s departure through the competitive exam process, which she did not sit. As a result, she lost her post, according to Camargo.
Camargo said Laborde left because she did not sit the competitive exam. Laborde tells it differently, and no court or oversight body has ruled on which account is right.
The Disputed Meeting
The defence position, however, is that Laborde described a disagreement over legal characterisation, not pressure. The disputed meeting was described as a review of a possible change to that characterisation, with a view to a preacuerdo.
Therefore, it requires a judge’s approval. The meeting produced no agreement.
No court or oversight body has ruled on whether pressure was applied, and the dispute stands as two opposed public accounts. The meeting was framed as a review of a possible legal characterisation change, not pressure.
However, no agreement resulted from that discussion. The meeting was described as a review of a possible legal change, not pressure.
However, no agreement was reached, and the dispute stands.
Case Status and Charges
The case against Nicolás Petro remains at the accusation stage and has not reached trial. The charges are money laundering and illicit enrichment, and appeals were still pending, according to El Heraldo and Caracol Radio.
El Heraldo reported the office insisted the case already carried a formal accusation for money laundering before Camargo took office. The later involvement of Lucy Laborde came through reparto, the internal allocation of case files.
The accusation stage includes charges of money laundering and illicit enrichment, with appeals pending. Meanwhile, the case file was allocated through reparto, the internal distribution system.
The case remains at the accusation stage, with appeals pending. Meanwhile, the file was allocated through reparto, an administrative process.
No Trial Begun
Caracol Radio reported that the trial of Nicolás Petro had not begun because no prosecutor had yet been sworn in to it. No trial date has been published.
Therefore, no judge has decided this case, and Nicolás Petro is an accused person presumed innocent. The charges remain allegations at this stage.
The trial has not started, as no prosecutor has been sworn in for it. Therefore, he remains presumed innocent while the case is open.
No trial has begun because no prosecutor has been sworn in. Therefore, Nicolás Petro remains presumed innocent.
The Legal Framework
Lavado de activos is money laundering, the offence of disguising the origin of illegally obtained funds. Enriquecimiento ilícito is illicit enrichment, the offence of holding an increase in wealth that the holder cannot lawfully account for.
Reparto is the internal distribution of case files among prosecutors, an administrative allocation, not a choice by the receiving prosecutor. A preacuerdo is a negotiated plea agreement between prosecutors and a defendant under Colombian criminal procedure.
Reparto ensures cases are distributed fairly among prosecutors, not by choice. Meanwhile, a preacuerdo requires judicial approval to be valid.
Lavado de activos means money laundering, and enriquecimiento ilícito means illicit enrichment. Reparto is the internal case allocation, while a preacuerdo is a plea agreement.
Public Reaction and Next Steps
Nicolás Petro Burgos responded publicly to the former prosecutor’s allegation, according to Infobae Colombia on Saturday 22 August 2026. However, President Gustavo Petro has not commented publicly on the matter.
Meanwhile, the case awaits rulings on appeals and a prosecutor to be sworn in for trial. In short, the Nicolás Petro case remains a dispute of accounts, with the legal process still moving forward.
Petro’s public response, reported by Infobae, adds to the dispute. However, the legal process continues, awaiting appeals and a trial prosecutor.
Nicolás Petro responded publicly to the allegation, but President Petro has not commented. Meanwhile, the legal process awaits appeals and a trial prosecutor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the Attorney-General’s Office deny in the Nicolás Petro case?
The Fiscalía General de la Nación denied that it pressured the prosecutor who handled the money-laundering case against Nicolás Petro. It called the allegations subjective interpretations with no supporting basis.
Who is Lucy Marcela Laborde Betancourt?
She is the former prosecutor who held the Nicolás Petro case and later made allegations of pressure. She said Attorney-General Luz Adriana Camargo asked her to drop the money-laundering charge, but the office denies this.
Why did Lucy Laborde leave the case?
Attorney-General Camargo said Laborde left because she did not sit the competitive exam for career posts, not because she was removed. Laborde’s own account differs, saying she faced pressure, but no official ruling has been made.
Has the Nicolás Petro case gone to trial?
No, the case remains at the accusation stage and has not reached trial. Caracol Radio reported that no prosecutor had been sworn in for the trial, and appeals were still pending.
Connected Coverage
Sources: Caracol Radio; El Heraldo; Infobae Colombia; Semana; El Espectador; Fiscalía General de la Nación.
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