On November 14, 2024, the Colombian House of Representatives' Accusation Commission initiated a preliminary investigation into President Gustavo Petro regarding alleged illegal contributions to his 2022 campaign from Daily Cop, a cryptocurrency company linked to a fraud scheme.
The Commission, which is the sole entity authorized to investigate a sitting president, stated it has ordered the opening of the inquiry against President Petro. This action follows a complaint filed by Bogotá councilman Daniel Briceño.
Briceño and the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI) of the Attorney General's Office have been summoned for a virtual session on November 19 to confirm the allegations. The investigation aims to ascertain whether illegal funds were funneled into Petro's campaign.
The inquiry will be led by congress members Wadith Manzur (Conservative Party), Leonardo Gallego (Liberal Party), and Alirio Uribe (Democratic Polo).
In April 2024, Victor Eduardo Muñoz, attorney for businessman Omar Hernández Doux-Ruisseau, linked to Daily Cop, claimed that his client could verify the existence of illicit funds that were allegedly directed to Petro's campaign.
Muñoz stated that the funds were arranged in kind, specifically through the acquisition of a King Air aircraft linked to the company Sadi, associated with the cryptocurrency.
Hernández and five others were imprisoned in October 2023 after being charged with money laundering, criminal conspiracy, mass and habitual fundraising, and illicit enrichment, charges they have denied.
Daily Cop, which promised daily returns of 0.5% and monthly returns of 12%, defrauded over 100,000 individuals.
This investigation is not the only scrutiny faced by Petro's presidential campaign; in October 2024, the National Electoral Council (CNE) opened an inquiry and filed charges against his 2022 campaign for allegedly violating campaign financing regulations.
The CNE suspects that Petro, campaign manager Ricardo Roa, and other team members exceeded spending limits and used undisclosed prohibited sources for funding.