Colombia’s Ex-President Petro Flew to Belgium Before Telling Senate, Semana Says
Key Facts
Colombia’s constitution keeps former presidents on a short leash for their first year out of office. Gustavo Petro’s second trip abroad since leaving office is now testing how tight that leash is.
Former Colombian president Gustavo Petro, who left office on 7 August 2026, posted photos from Brussels on 11 September. Semana, a Bogotá news magazine, reported that he had not told the Senate beforehand, as his travel permit requires.
Why This Matters
Article 196 of Colombia’s constitution bars former presidents from leaving the country without Senate permission. The rule applies for one year after they cease to hold office, which for Petro runs until August 2027.
For a sitting president, the same article requires prior notice to the Senate and treats a breach as abandoning office. The clause on former presidents names no comparable sanction, which leaves enforcement to the Senate itself.
Infobae described the rule as a guard against ex-presidents avoiding accountability while investigations may still open. Petro, a leftist who governed from 2022 to 2026, faces inquiries into his campaign financing, Infobae noted.
Complaints against him are also pending before the Commission of Accusations, a House of Representatives panel, El Tiempo noted. His supporters answer that the presumption of innocence applies and that no formal investigation has been opened, the paper added.
The dispute also carries a political edge, because Petro’s camp lost power in June. Right-wing lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella beat Petro’s chosen heir, Iván Cepeda, by 49.7% to 48.7%, Al Jazeera reported.
Why His Travel Draws Attention
Petro’s movements abroad were already sensitive before he left office. Washington revoked his visa in September 2025 after a New York speech urging US soldiers to disobey Donald Trump.
On 24 October 2025, the US Treasury added Petro, his wife and his son to its sanctions list of specially designated nationals. Washington accused the group of involvement in the global drug trade, and none of them has been convicted.
During the Senate debate, Petro’s plans to visit Princeton University and Cuba were mentioned, Infobae reported. The same report noted visa complications for any trip to the United States.
A Permit With One Condition
The Senate approved a one-year travel permit for Petro on 12 August 2026 by 73 votes to 11. El Colombiano reported that the opposition Democratic Centre party added a condition requiring notice of each trip.
Petro must tell the Senate the dates and destination before every departure, Infobae reported. Senate president Honorio Henríquez said the same duty applies to every former president under the constitution.
“He must notify each time he goes to leave the country,” Henríquez said, according to the Senate’s own news service. Senators Christian Garcés of the Democratic Centre and Alfredo Deluque of the Partido de la U wanted a vote on each trip.
“Each departure needs an authorisation, that is what the constitution says,” Deluque argued, Infobae reported. Opposition senator Enrique Gómez argued the permit could let Petro leave the country and never return.
Senator Antonio Correa replied that investigating crimes belongs to prosecutors and the Supreme Court, not to senators. “Let’s drop the drama, we are not prosecutors or judges,” Correa said, while David Racero of Petro’s Pacto Histórico backed the conditions.
What Semana Reported
Petro followed the rule for his first trip, notifying the Senate in August of a visit to Mexico City. That trip ran from 30 August to 2 September 2026, according to his letter.
Semana said he sent that notice on 21 August, more than a week before he left. In Mexico City he met President Claudia Sheinbaum and attended academic activities, El Tiempo reported.
On 11 September, Semana reported that the Senate had no notice of a new trip, this time to Belgium. Petro had posted on X: “I do not walk among corpses, I walk among books and thoughts.
Brussels, 11/09/26.”; two days later, Semana reported that a letter from Petro reached the Senate on 11 September at 4.22 pm. The letter said he would be abroad from 9 to 15 September for an academic event in Belgium.
Semana said the letter carried no date of its own and reached the Senate after the trip had begun. It was addressed to Henríquez and to Senate secretary Diego Alejandro González, El Tiempo reported.
What Petro Did in Brussels
Colombia.com reported that Petro gave a well-attended talk and joined a concert by French musician Manu Chao as a guest. He also received a scarf bearing the Palestinian flag, according to the same report.
Petro answered his critics directly on social media during the visit. “They said I cannot travel, that I have fled,” he wrote, adding that his aim was to help build a better world.
La FM reported that his European tour also included planned stops in Madrid on 16 September and in Strasbourg. That Madrid date falls after the 15 September return given in his letter to the Senate.
How the Senate Has Responded So Far
La FM said doubts about the notice came from accounts circulating in the Senate, not from a formal finding. The broadcaster stressed that there was no definitive conclusion about any breach of the condition.
Semana wrote that the matter would be discussed in the Senate plenary the following week. No vote, statement or sanction from the plenary had been reported by 21 September.
What It Means If You Follow Colombia
For investors and travellers, the dispute has no direct effect on markets, visas or Colombian policy. Its weight is institutional, because it tests whether Congress enforces the one real check on a former president’s movements.
For Colombians, the outcome will show whether a late letter counts as notice or as a breach. Readers following Petro’s legal cases should watch the Commission of Accusations rather than the travel row.
For the Senate, the case sets a precedent, since Henríquez said the same notice duty binds every former president. A tolerant reading would make the condition largely symbolic, while a strict one would invite a new clash with Petro’s camp.
What Is Not Yet Known
The resolution, as reported, does not spell out any penalty for late notice. The Senate leadership has not said in public whether it will take any step over the trip.
El Tiempo and La FM published the letter on 12 September but did not say when it was sent. It is also unclear which academic event he attended in Brussels.
It is not known whether Petro sent a separate notice covering Madrid or Strasbourg. None of the reports reviewed says when he returned to Colombia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this trip matter?
Colombia’s constitution requires former presidents to get Senate permission to travel abroad in their first year out of office. Petro’s late notice tests whether that rule has any teeth.
Why does a former Colombian president need Senate permission to travel?
Article 196 of the constitution requires Senate permission for trips abroad during the first year after leaving office. Petro’s year runs until August 2027.
Did Petro break the law?
No authority has said so. Semana reported that his notice reached the Senate after he had already left for Belgium.
Can Petro travel to the United States?
Washington revoked his visa in September 2025 and placed him on its sanctions list in October 2025. Infobae reported visa complications for any US trip.
Sources: Semana, Petro did not notify the Senate of his trip, Semana, the late letter to the Senate, Senado de Colombia, scope of Petro’s travel permit, Infobae, the Senate vote and debate, El Colombiano, Petro’s notice for the Mexico trip, El Tiempo, the Brussels letter to the Senate, La FM, the Brussels trip divides opinion, Colombia.com, Petro’s reception in Belgium, Secretaría del Senado, text of Article 196, Al Jazeera, De la Espriella wins the runoff, Wikipedia, Petro’s US visa and sanctions
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief