The audios of former ambassador Benedetti to Petro’s former chief of staff increase suspicions about campaign financing

The former Colombian ambassador to Venezuela, Armando Benedetti, sent to Gustavo Petro’s former chief of staff, Laura Sarabia, some audios that show that she is a key piece to understanding the financing of the leftist president’s campaign… and that she knows everything.

Thus, he made it clear to her that if he were to talk about what happened in Petro’s electoral campaign, they could all go to prison.

“It’s not a threat because you know me. I will not let myself be sucked off, Laura; I swear to you on my children’s lives that it will never happen. We are all going down (…) We are all going to prison”.

The matter came to light because Benedetti asked for an appointment with President Petro in the Casa de Nariño, and he was stood up for three hours, according to Semana magazine.

“I was the one who organized all the votes, son of a bitch, in the Coast, all of them, son of a bitch, without them putting a peso, and also that money went to the Pacific”, he said.

The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, confirmed last Friday the resignation of Sarabia and Benedetti, both involved in a case of illegal wiretapping.

He underlined that both “were leaving the Government” to guarantee “independence” in the investigation opened against them.

After the president’s statements, Sarabia published a message on his Twitter profile where he assured to have “acted correctly, with integrity and without any particular interest”.

And Benedetti wanted to show the “trust” given by the president when appointing him and pointed out that “one of the most important tasks” had been “to reestablish relations between Colombia and Venezuela”.

“It has been a great honor to accompany you in these months of government as Ambassador to Venezuela.”

He added, “to reopen relations with this sister country that for so many years welcomed thousands and thousands of compatriots who, for various circumstances, found refuge there”.

With information from LGI

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