The allegations surrounding the alleged use of public funds to obtain sexual services during Gustavo Petro’s presidency have intensified the political controversy in Colombia. The accusations, made by Deyci Jimenez, a 26-year-old woman who leveled the serious claims in an interview with Colombian magazine Semana, point to possible abuses of power involving young women and government contracts.
In other explosive statements, Jimenez claims that she maintained an intimate relationship with Petro, then a senator, for five years starting in 2019. She added that, beyond sexual services, the future president also asked her to transport drugs. According to the accuser, she allegedly received contracts with government agencies in exchange for sexual relations.
Colombia’s ombudsman, Iris Marin, called on judicial and disciplinary authorities to prioritize investigations to establish the facts. So far, the allegations have not been substantiated.
Marin believes the seriousness of the allegations demands a swift, independent and rigorous institutional response. The case adds to other controversies involving former officials and associates of Petro, whose statements have brought various aspects of his administration under scrutiny.
The investigation will have to determine whether irregularities occurred in public contracting and whether state resources may have been used for purposes unrelated to public service.
Colombia Petro scandal widens over alleged public funds for sex services
Iris Marin announced that she would ask several institutions to prioritize proceedings related to the allegations against Petro. These include the Supreme Court of Justice’s Investigative Chamber, the House of Representatives’ Investigations and Impeachment Committee, and the Office of the Inspector General.
The ombudsman believes the seriousness of the allegations leaves no room for delays in establishing the facts. The involvement of these institutions is significant given their respective powers to examine potential criminal, political and disciplinary liability.
According to Marin, the objective must be to establish whether sufficient grounds exist to move forward with the investigations, verify the available evidence and determine whether any misconduct occurred. The authorities must also ensure due process and prevent the political controversy from interfering with efforts to establish the facts.
“Authorities must operate autonomously and independently and protect victims, regardless of the position held by anyone who may ultimately be found responsible,” Marin concluded in a statement posted on social media yesterday, following the publication of the controversial interview in the aforementioned Colombian outlet.
La gravedad de esta de esta denuncia no da margen de espera.
Respetuosamente, solicitaremos la priorización inmediata para la investigación de estos hechos, tanto en la Sala de Instrucción de la @CorteSupremaJ como de la Comisión de Acusaciones de @CamaraColombia y a la @PGN_COL.
Las autoridades encargadas de instrucción y juzgamiento penal y disciplinario deben dar todas las garantías para que se esclarezcan los hechos oportunamente y se apliquen las sanciones a las que haya lugar, en el evento en que se comprueben.
Las autoridades deben operar con autonomía e independencia y proteger a las víctimas, sin importar la dignidad de quien pueda llegar a resultar responsable.
— Iris Marín Ortiz (@MarnIris) October 25, 2026
Deyci Jimenez says she has retained messages and documents
The allegations gained prominence after Jimenez made her accusations in an interview with Colombian magazine Semana. She claimed that during Petro’s administration, there may have been instances in which young people were subjected to abuses of power involving job opportunities or contracts with government agencies.
Jiménez said she has retained digital conversations and documents related to alleged contractual arrangements that she considers relevant to supporting her account. She also referred to screenshots of messages that, according to her, were associated with profiles attributed to the president, as well as images of documents related to contracts.
The authenticity, context and evidentiary value of these materials have not been publicly established. Their contents will need to be examined by authorities to determine whether they support the allegations and whether there is any connection between the contracts mentioned and the reported events.
Jimenez also maintained that other women may have experienced similar situations and that some could be willing to provide testimony or evidence. These claims have not been independently verified either.
The core of the complaint is the possibility that access to public contracts was conditioned on personal or intimate favors. If the allegations were proven, they could raise questions about the use of political influence, government contracting and the potential misuse of public resources. Establishing such a connection, however, requires documentary evidence and an independent investigation.
For his part, Gustavo Petro categorically rejected allegations that public money or government contracts had been used in exchange for sexual favors, describing them as an outrage.
In a statement published on his X account, the former president declared emphatically: “I have never awarded a contract in exchange for sexual relations. I would vomit on myself if I ever did anything like that.” He also maintained that he had never subjected or coerced any woman in his private life, arguing that freedom is a fundamental principle in his personal relationships.
Finally, Petro attributed the allegations to a campaign of political persecution and defamation by the opposition. He claimed that, having been unable to prove financial corruption or links to drug trafficking throughout his public career, his opponents had resorted to invading and defaming his private life.
Ante el intento de intromisión en mi vida íntima y sexual dado que no pudo comprobar ningún hecho de corrupción o narcotráfico en mi existencia, este es mi comunicado: https://t.co/I0dDYSVjtF
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 25, 2026
Allegations Add to Other Controversies Surrounding the Government
The scandal comes amid tensions between Petro and some people who worked in his administration or maintained close ties with him. Statements by former officials and associates have fueled controversies in recent months over the inner workings of the government and alleged irregularities reported from within the administration itself, which the same media outlet has extensively covered.
One of the most recent disputes involves Angie Rodriguez, former director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency, who made serious allegations concerning events in the presidential circle. Petro subsequently announced his intention to file a complaint against her, deepening the public feud between the president and a former associate.
Although these episodes are separate from Jimenez’s allegations, they reflect growing confrontation between the president and people who had professional or political ties to his administration. The allegations made by the various parties must be examined separately and do not, in themselves, constitute evidence of the claims in the current case.