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Colombian President Gustavo Petro decided to publicly disclose his financial situation after being sanctioned by the Washington government, which accuses him of having alleged ties to drug trafficking.
The measures imposed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) led to the blocking of Petro's bank accounts and even resulted in the denial of fuel for his plane in Cabo Verde.
The U.S. president Donald Trump described him as “a drug trafficking leader,” and Petro chose to respond with numbers. On the social network X, the president announced that he would publish all his financial transactions and requested that investigations be extended to the years preceding his presidency.
The gesture, described by analysts as a desperate attempt to clean up his image, also reveals a paradox: the transparency that the leader sought to demonstrate austerity ultimately exposed some personal tastes and luxuries that have sparked debate on social media.
Luxury, effective, and a night in Lisbon
The report prepared by the Financial Information and Analysis Unit (UIAF) details the income and expenses of the official between January 2023 and June 2025. Of his 12 bank accounts, only two show significant activity: one at Scotiabank, used to pay the mortgage on his house in Chía, and another at BBVA, where most of his personal transactions are concentrated.
Petro's income amounts to 1.31 billion pesos (about 350,000 dollars) during that period, primarily from his presidential salary. However, expenses exceed 1.4 billion pesos (about 380,000 dollars), leaving a small deficit.
In May 2023, during an official trip to Portugal, he spent 5.2 million pesos (about 1,400 dollars) at Gucci, and a year later, he spent 2.1 million pesos (560 dollars) at the Italian boutique Casa dei Tessuti.
But the most controversial payment was for 209,000 pesos (about 50 dollars) at the Menage Strip Club, a striptease venue in Lisbon where, according to its own advertising, "the most attractive girls are ready to fulfill your desires."
Additionally, the UIAF detected cash withdrawals totaling over 756 million pesos (about 200,000 dollars) made by three people from his inner circle: Jesusita Quirós, Laura Sarabia, and Angie Rodríguez.
Also listed are recurring transfers to Ingrid Plata, a friend of the First Lady Verónica Alcocer, who received five million pesos (approximately 1,300 dollars) last June.
Although the entity clarifies that "the information does not allow us to conclude whether the operations are linked to criminal activities," the figures have raised new suspicions in Colombia.
Petro responds: "Don’t you find it strange that I only spend what I earn?"
In light of the uproar caused by the president's financial data in the national and international press, Petro once again took to his social media to defend himself against the accusations from Trump and the media.
"The big question is: Can you prove that my expenses exceed my salary and the royalties from my book? (…) Don’t you find it serious that my bank accounts contradict President Trump’s assessment of a democratically elected president by the Colombians? Is it possible for a drug trafficker to be paying off their house to the bank for 14 years and not have any other properties? Doesn’t it seem strange that I only spend what I earn in my salary?" he wrote on his official account on X.
The leader seeks to turn the accusation into a public debate and present himself as a victim of an international political offensive. However, in his attempt to demonstrate his innocence, he ended up displaying a financial picture that combines a mortgage, European luxuries, and a night of striptease.
Will these private data about Petro change the stance of the president of the United States and distance him from a possible connection to drug trafficking in Colombia? The strategy remains unclear and could spark new debates on social media regarding the Colombian leader.
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