President of Colombia accuses former minister of betrayal for attempted coup

Journal says former Chancellor sought a White House to try to overthrow the agent

Colombian president Gustavo Petro responded to the complaint that his former chancellor, Álvaro Leyva, sought support from the United States to try a blow to Bogota. In a publication on social network X, the agent claimed to be “victim of insults” of the former minister and said he helped Leyva.

The complaint of an articulation between Leyva and the US was published by the Spanish newspaper El País. According to the publication, the chancellor met two months ago with White House advisors to try support for a plan to overthrow Petro. The newspaper claims to have had access to audios that prove an approximation between Leyva and the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to intensify an “international pressure” against Bogota.

“For months, I was the target of Mr. Leyva’s insults. I just wanted to answer what I considered a barbaric and cowardly act of revenge, coming from someone to whom I helped in a genuine way, with my heart. This episode leads me to reflect on the behavior of what I call the oligarchy from which Leyva is undoubtedly a group that see the state as a heritage, as if it had the right to negotiate with the right Public money is a group unable to establish relationships based on respect for the other and their arguments.

Still according to El País, Leyva would have called Petro of a “erratic man, with serious drug problems that kept evidence that disqualified him for office.” The alleged audios would have Leyva’s voice saying they should “get rid” of Petro before a national agreement. The agreement to which he refers is the peace dialogues that the president proposes since the beginning of his term with the guerrillas. For the former minister, “public order left control”.

Former Chancellor and his son, Jorge Leyva, have an open channel of communication with members of the Republican Party. Through this dialogue, he talked to Mario Díaz-Balart, deputy for the state of Florida and one of the main exponents against Latin American left governments in the US Congress.

In his publication, Petro also questions the “help” that gave Leyva by putting him as foreign minister, “without any political calculation.” The president recalled the peace process between his political armed group, April 19 movement, and the Colombia Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) and pondered Leyva’s participation at that time.

“I thought he deserved him at the end of his life. I was wrong, thinking that he had a genuine vocation for peace. Leyva did not really help the M19 peace process, but he was committed to the FARC process for decades. I thought he had been persecuted for it; now, knowing him personally, I believe he also sought other reasons, less sacred, the president.”

Leyva left the position of minister after the prosecutor opened an investigation against him for “exceeding his duties.” The investigation was motivated by a cancellation on September 13, 2023, by bidding to choose the company that would issue Colombian passports. He was removed for three months before leaving the folder.

According to the MP, the Minister of Foreign Affairs had no technical foundation for this. The only company left in the process was the Thomas Greg & Sons de Colombia Sa. At the time, Petro defended the minister, said this is a maneuver of the MP and that Leyva followed his orders.

In this Sunday’s publication, however, Petro argued that the bidding process was “marked by corruption from the beginning” and that, therefore, asked the process to be interrupted.

“In the Council of Ministers, I ordered him not to continue him, because the terms of reference were already determined the winner. He let the process go too far, contrary to my instructions, and, when suspending it, committed irregularities that cost him public life. The press reported the presence of his son in a hotel abroad, discussing the matter. To the meals offered by my delegation. He did not mention this in his letters.

Originally published by Brazil de facto on 06/30/2025

By Lorenzo Santiago

Edition: Nathallia Fonseca