Gladness Gideon
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has vehemently denied explosive allegations made by his former foreign minister, Alvaro Leyva, who publicly accused the leftist leader of drug addiction in a scathing open letter released Wednesday.
Leyva, an 82-year-old veteran diplomat and once a close ally of Petro, claimed the president vanished for two days during an official 2023 visit to Paris, alleging it was during this period he “confirmed” Petro’s supposed drug problem. “These were embarrassing moments for me as a person and as foreign minister,” Leyva wrote, without presenting evidence.
Petro swiftly rebutted the accusations on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), calling them “slanderous” and dismissing the claims as politically motivated. “During an official visit by a head of state to France, there is always direct and permanent physical protection from the French secret service,” he noted, adding that he had spent time in Paris with his daughter and grandchildren. “I’m addicted to love,” Petro quipped.
The fallout marks a dramatic rupture in a relationship once seen as strategically important for Petro. Leyva, despite his conservative background, served in Petro’s administration as a peace envoy and foreign minister, lending cross-party legitimacy to the president’s early tenure. However, since his suspension from office earlier this year over a botched passport tender — a move Petro decried as “political persecution” — Leyva has become a vocal critic.
Opposition lawmakers, seizing on Leyva’s claims, have called for the president to undergo drug and psychological testing to determine his fitness for office. They cite a pattern of Petro’s tardiness to official functions and a 2018 incident where he admitted to appearing drunk at a campaign event.
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Petro, who has long advocated for drug policy reform and has downplayed the dangers of cocaine compared to alcohol, responded to the renewed scrutiny with irony. “Isn’t Paris full of parks, museums, bookstores more interesting than the letter’s writer?” he wrote. “Don’t I have daughters and granddaughters in Paris who are far more interesting than the writer?”
While Petro’s approach to narcotics has attracted criticism — including his vocal support for the decriminalization of cocaine — the timing and personal nature of the allegations have added a sensational twist to Colombia’s already polarized political climate.
Under Petro’s leadership, Colombia’s cocaine production has reached record levels, and the government has shifted away from forced eradication in favor of addressing the root causes of drug trafficking.
As the country prepares for upcoming regional elections, the public spat between Petro and Leyva underscores the widening fault lines not just between parties, but within Petro’s own former circle of trust.
Whether Leyva’s accusations gain traction or are seen as a personal vendetta remains to be seen. But for now, Petro insists the only stimulant powering his presidency is “coffee, not cocaine.”