Sex-for-contracts allegations rock Petro and Colombia's left
The gist
A 26-year-old contractor says former Colombian President Gustavo Petro traded state contracts for sex, which he denies.
The case tests Colombia's first left-wing president and the party he still leads.
How it unfolded
- 2019Deicy Jiménez says she met Petro through an adult website when he was a senator and had recently lost the 2018 presidential election; they later met at a hotel in Cali, where their intimate relationship began.
- 2021 -2026Jiménez's lawyers say she received as many as ten contracts in this period, with evidence of contracts from 2023 onward across the Senate, the Interior Ministry and the presidency's administrative department.
- Oct 25, 2026Petro said on X he had never awarded a contract in exchange for sexual relations.
Key terms
- Pacto Histórico
- A Colombian left-wing progressive political party formed in 2025 from the merger of several leftist movements.
- Salvación Nacional
- A Colombian far-right political party founded in 1990 by dissident conservatives as an alternative to traditional party leadership.
- Dapre
- The administrative department that provides staff and support services to the President of Colombia.
Source: Wikipedia