The Accusations Committee of the Colombian House of Representatives is leaning towards refraining from continuing the preliminary investigation against President Gustavo Petro for alleged irregularities in the financing of his 2022 presidential campaign, considering that it lacks sufficient evidentiary support.

In a 250-page document prepared by the investigating triumvirate, composed of Representatives Alirio Uribe Muñoz and Gloria Arizabaleta of the Historical Pact and Wilmer Ramiro Carrillo of the Party of the U, the committee proposes closing the preliminary inquiry stage and not proceeding with a formal investigation against the president.

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“The body of evidence in this file demonstrates, diametrically opposed to the allegations, that Petro did not allow the acquisition or entry of assets or funds from prohibited sources, and issued express instructions to prevent it,” the draft states.

Furthermore, the text emphasizes that the president “did not manage the presidential campaign’s resources, nor did he have direct involvement in the accounting or financial operations,” a responsibility that, according to the document, fell exclusively to the campaign manager, Ricardo Roa, the current president of Ecopetrol.

The draft also declares all complaints filed more than 30 days after the 2022 presidential election to be expired, and orders that the ruling be sent to the Attorney General’s Office and the National Electoral Council (CNE) for use in the separate proceedings against Roa and others involved.

This announcement coincides with the sanction imposed by the CNE on Roa and others responsible for exceeding campaign finance limits by more than 3.5 billion pesos (approximately US$940,000) and receiving prohibited contributions.

One of the central elements of the original complaint—filed by Socorro Oliveros, Rodolfo Hernández’s campaign manager—was the so-called “Petrovideos,” audio and video recordings published by Semana magazine. However, investigators believe that “the lack of verifiable information regarding the origin, traceability, and conditions under which the videos and audios were obtained makes it impossible to establish with certainty their authenticity, their technical integrity, and therefore, their procedural validity.”

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The document adds that “there is already a precedent of the Supreme Court and the Attorney General’s Office ruling that these pieces of evidence are inadmissible,” and that obtaining them could constitute a “serious violation of the fundamental right to privacy.”

If the draft is approved by the Accusations Committee—the only body with the power to investigate the president—the case against Petro would be dismissed. The final ruling could be issued next week.

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