Laura Sarabia, Petro's former chief of staff, is charged with three crimes in the polygraph case against her nanny

Laura Sarabia, Petro's former chief of staff, is charged with three crimes in the polygraph case against her nanny

The Colombian Prosecutor's Office charged former Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia this Monday for allegedly ordering a polygraph test in 2023 on Marelbys Meza, who was then working as her son's nanny, in the midst of the investigation into the loss of money in the former official's apartment.

As detailed by the Prosecutor's Office in a statement, Sarabia would have subjected Meza to the test to «know the whereabouts of money that disappeared» at the former chancellor's place of residence.

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The Prosecutor's Office charged Sarabia with the crimes of abuse of public office, aggravated illegal constraint and embezzlement by use, but did not accept the charges.

The Sarabia scandal - which occurred when she was the Chief of Staff of the then Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, between 2022 and 2023 - was one of the biggest controversies of that Executive and had its origin in the theft of a briefcase that allegedly contained about 7,000 dollars and official documents.

The Prosecutor's Office indicated that on January 29, 2023, Sarabia reported the loss of the money that was in the briefcase, taken to his apartment by an officer in charge of his personal security.

Sarabia allegedly identified Meza as the main suspect in the theft and that same day he ordered the then head of security of the Presidency by telephone to perform a polygraph test on her.

Meza was taken in an official vehicle for interrogation, in which she was intimidated and accused of having committed the robbery, in addition to receiving warnings related to a possible deprivation of liberty, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

The Police illegally intercepted Meza's phone, using as a facade an operation against the Clan del Golfo, the country's main criminal gang.

Before the accusation became known, Sarabia, who was one of the people closest to Petro during his Government, assured that this issue is handled by his lawyers, who are the ones who can «refer to legal decisions».

I can only say that I respect the authorities and trust their decisions. My wish continues to be that Marelbys regains her peace of mind, can resume her life and move forward. I want to do it too», he added in X.

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