A distinguished Colombian politician and former minister has accused the nation’s president, Gustavo Petro, of being a drug addict who allegedly went awol throughout an official go to to France.
In a damning letter to the South American chief, the previous international minister Álvaro Leyva painted a dire image of his one-time boss and ally, later publishing the textual content on his official X account.
When he joined Petro’s cupboard, shortly after his historic 2022 election, Leyva recalled having excessive hopes for his administration believing Colombia’s first leftwing president might turn into a “regional chief and international hope”.
Nevertheless, Leyva mentioned he had subsequently witnessed scenes that had triggered him “unease and bewilderment”, citing the president’s supposedly poor punctuality, incoherent statements and the pointless journeys he allegedly made.
Most sensationally, the ex-minister claimed he had witnessed unspecified “embarrassing moments” involving Petro comparable to when – throughout a 2023 journey to France – Colombia’s president allegedly “disappeared” for 2 days.
“It was in Paris that I used to be capable of verify that you just had a drug dependancy downside … Your restoration, sadly, has not taken place,” wrote Leyva, who was as soon as near Colombia’s leftist chief regardless of being of the proper and served beneath him for practically two years.
Petro, who has denied such claims up to now, hit again at his former ally on social media, though he stopped in need of denying the accusation. Writing on X, the place he’s recognized for his lenthy and typically late-night posts, Petro criticized the press and mentioned he had higher issues to do than spend time along with his international minister whereas visiting the French capital.
“Isn’t Paris filled with parks, museums, bookstores, extra fascinating than the letter’s author, to spend two days in? Nearly every part in Paris is extra fascinating. Don’t I’ve daughters and granddaughters in Paris who’re way more fascinating than the author?” Petro wrote.
Leyva’s letter sparked a political firestorm in Colombia, with newspapers stamping his claims throughout their homepages.
Writing in El Tiempo, the journalist Juan Sebastián Lombo Delgado, mentioned that by no means earlier than in current Colombian historical past had a key ex-member of the federal government publicly questioned “the colleges” of his former boss.
Congresswoman Katherine Miranda advised the identical newspaper the “grave” accusations could be irrelevant “if we had been speaking about any previous individual – however we’re speaking concerning the head of state”.
In 2023, after comparable allegations from a Colombian journalist, Colombia’s president responded: “The one factor I’m hooked on is a morning espresso.”
Earlier this yr Petro claimed cocaine – a drug Colombia produces extra of than some other nation – was “no worse than whiskey” and was solely unlawful as a result of it was made in Latin America. Cocaine manufacturing has soared since he took workplace practically three years in the past. In keeping with the UNoffice on medicine and crime there was a 53% potential enhance in cocaine manufacturing throughout 2022 with cocaine manufacturing reaching 2,664 metric tons.
The claims got here as Petro once more locked horns with Donald Trump, with whom he had a very public falling out earlier this yr over deportation flights.
The row between Petro and Trump started at 3.41am native time in Colombia, on 26 January, when the previous took to X to sentence the US’s therapy of Colombian migrants and announce he wouldn’t enable US planes to land in his nation.
Trump responded swiftly and ferociously, threatening visa restrictions and tariffs until Petro backed down, which he rapidly did.
On Tuesday, Petro mentioned he believed the US had now “taken away” his visa and claimed he might now not journey there. “I’ve already seen Donald Duck quite a few instances so I’ll go see different issues,” he added sarcastically.
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