Colombia’s Prosecutor’s Office to Charge Laura Sarabia, Petro’s Former Right-Hand Woman
Laura Sarabia, the once-powerful right-hand woman of former President Gustavo Petro, who ended up serving in that government as Colombia’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, will have to face justice. Colombia’s Prosecutor’s Office will charge her with alleged responsibility for the crimes of abuse of public office and aggravated unlawful coercion.
The events for which Sarabia will be brought before a judge date back to the beginning of 2023. Between Jan. 27 and Jan. 29 of that year, Marelbys Meza, then nanny of Sarabia’s son, allegedly underwent a polygraph test over the loss of a suitcase containing money and documents that were in Sarabia’s home.
Talks to find a way out failed
Because of that allegation, the security detail of then-President Petro took Meza to the basements across from the Casa de Nariño (seat of the Government), where they subjected her to polygraph tests.
“Mrs. Marelbys Meza was allegedly coerced into undergoing a polygraph test following the loss of a suitcase belonging to Sarabia Torres, then chief of staff of the Presidency of the Republic, which contained documents and money,” the Prosecutor’s Office explained.
The charges against Sarabia will take place next Monday, Sept. 14, and will come after talks between Sarabia’s defense team and the prosecuting entity, which sought to find an early way out of the proceedings, were abandoned. In recent months, both sides had explored alternatives such as plea agreements, principles of opportunity, and restorative justice mechanisms.
The Prosecutor’s Office, in this new phase of the proceedings, has the testimony of Police Captain Oscar Leandro Mojica, who allegedly stated that it was Sarabia who ordered the polygraph test to be administered to Meza, without a judicial order for that purpose.
The officer allegedly told the Prosecutor’s Office that, when they arrived at Sarabia’s home to investigate the theft, he was able to overhear a conversation between her and Colonel Carlos Feria, then head of presidential security. There, Sarabia allegedly ordered him to change her security detail and conduct a polygraph test on Meza.
But the alleged aggression against Meza would not have ended there. The woman also reported that she was held for several hours and pressured by presidential security officials.
Another former Gustavo Petro official facing charges
Because of all the above, the nanny says that her life took an unexpected turn after she was exposed to public opinion and lost her job. She says that these events caused her moral and economic damages, for which she is seeking multimillion-dollar compensation from the state.
The situation also grew like a snowball. The case involving the alleged loss of Sarabia’s money and the subsequent submission of Meza to the polygraph was joined by illegal interceptions of the communications of Meza and another employee of Sarabia, Fabiola Perea, as well as investigations against members of the Police and other officials connected to the operation.
Within that scandal, at the time one of the biggest to erupt during Petro’s government, the death of Police Colonel Oscar Davila occurred. It was said that he had died by suicide, but other voices have questioned that version.
The other police officers accused of taking part in the interceptions and in the procedure applied to Meza are also facing legal proceedings. Sarabia joins the long list of former Petro officials who are facing justice in Colombia for different reasons.
Sarabia publicly referred to the proceedings against her and said that her lawyers will be responsible for explaining the legal decisions that are adopted.
She stated that she respects the work of the authorities and hopes that the case can also be closed for Meza. “My wish is for the former employee to regain her peace of mind, resume her life and move forward,” Sarabia said, adding that she also wants to leave the episode behind.