Overview
- Colombian President Gustavo Petro published his bank and credit card records this week to rebut Washington’s accusations of financial crimes.
- The statements show roughly $50 spent at the Ménage strip club in Lisbon during a May 2023 official trip and a reported €1,250 purchase at a Gucci store in Portugal.
- Women’s rights advocates and political opponents condemned the revelations, with activist Sara Jaramillo questioning his judgment and conservative figure Vicky Dávila decrying a loss of presidential dignity.
- Petro posted on X that he does not buy sex, said he would explain the Lisbon visit “some day,” and argued the disclosures demonstrate U.S. arbitrariness toward Colombia.
- The episode unfolds against an ongoing rift with the United States, which has revoked Colombia’s counternarcotics certification and sanctioned Petro as well as his wife, Verónica Alcocer, and his son, Nicolás.