An ex-Minister accused Petro of drug addiction in Colombia: chaos followed
An open letter by the former Foreign Minister rehashed an old rumor and set off a political firestorm in the country, even among some allies
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Since the former Colombian Foreign Minister, Alvaro Leyva, published a bombshell open letter in which he suggested President Gustavo Petro was addicted to drugs on April 23, the growing scandal has been splashed on every newspaper and media site in the country.
Leyva, once a staunch ally of Petro, joined his cabinet shortly after the leftist leader’s historic 2022 election victory. The four-page letter painted a dire picture of a President who has often had trouble maintaining communications discipline and sometimes communicates seemingly impulsively on the social media platform X.
Leyva, in the letter, speaks fondly of joining the administration with “high hopes” that Petro’s coalition could bring “equality, liberty, fraternity, justice and peace” to a country that has long struggled with those issues.
But after a warm opening, the letter goes on to express concerns over chaotic behavior, a pattern of tardiness, and seemingly impulsive decisions and trips made by the Colombian head of state, before moving on to the principal allegations.
Leyva claims that he first realized Petro had a substance abuse problem during a Presidential trip to Paris in which the president disappeared for 48 hours. Leyva says that even French intelligence was unable to locate the Colombian President during that time period. “I was embarrassed,” he wrote, “and even more so when I learned where you had been.”
He did not elaborate on his claims about where Petro was during the missing 48 hours, nor what he had been doing.
Petro lashed out at Leyva through social media, and the following day claimed in a public speech that he was “addicted only to love”, and has claimed in recent days that he was spending time with his family at museums and the cultural offerings Paris has to offer.
The controversy, however, has exposed fault lines in an already scandal-ridden cabinet, which was formed just over a month ago after infighting in the previous administration led to Petro asking for blanket resignations.
As part of the letter, Leyva urged Petro to distance himself from Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, who has been plagued by accusations of both financial corruption and domestic abuse involving his wife, and the current Foreign Minister, Laura Sarabia, claiming the two “have taken advantage of your extremely complex situation.”
Sarabia was involved in accusations that she abused her power as a presidential advisor to harass and illegally detain a maid she suspected of stealing thousands of dollars from her in 2023.
Petro’s last cabinet was dissolved after some members publicly refused to work with Benedetti, and after the Vice-President, Francia Marquez, made a series of negative comments about Sarabia, including suggestions that she had personal information about Petro that she might be using to “blackmail” him.
Leyva says Petro was often unavailable for critical meetings and briefings about foreign policy. He claims in the letter that the fault was with Sarabia, who was the president’s chief of staff at the time and “in control of your time, of some of your duties, and that, in addition, she was also meeting some of your personal needs.”
Leyva additionally accused Benedetti of being “addicted to drugs [and] a sick man.”
Benedetti has faced stiff resistance from feminist leaders in the country over the allegations of domestic abuse, as well as public comments they describe as misogynistic.
Leyva, a long-time conservative peace activist, was suspended from his position as Foreign Minister in January 2024.
Former Justice Minister Wilson Ruiz filed a formal complaint before the House of Representatives against President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday, requesting that he be investigated for “indignity due to misconduct”. As part of the filing, he asked Congress to perform health and toxicology exams on the sitting president to determine whether the claims by Leyva are true.
Members of Petro’s Party, Pacto Histórico, have attacked Leyva in public comments, questioning why the former Foreign Ministry waited so long to come forward if the allegations were true. Many dismissed the claims as politically motivated.
It is not the first time that Petro’s political enemies have accused him of drug addiction. Amidst rumors of cocaine use in 2023, Petro responded jokingly to local press that “the only thing I am addicted to is a morning coffee.”
Alberto Benavides, a senator for Pacto Histórico, dismissed the letter as “repeating old and malicious rumors that have existed…since 2018.” “This is political intrigue,” said Benavides in public statements on Wednesday. “They are not assertions, they are not facts.”
Petro has survived scandal before, but with only 16 months left in his presidency, and a badly fractured coalition, even within his own party, the allegations threaten his ability to implement his agenda in his remaining time in office.
