BOGOTA, Colombia – In a landmark decision, Colombia’s National Electoral Council (CNE) has imposed substantial administrative fines on President Gustavo Petro’s 2022 presidential campaign for exceeding legal spending limits and accepting funds from prohibited sources. The ruling, issued on November 27, 2025, represents the first time in Colombian history that a sitting president’s campaign has been sanctioned for electoral financing violations, deepening political tensions ahead of the 2026 elections.
The CNE found that the “Petro Presidente 2022” campaign exceeded authorized spending by approximately 5.3 billion Colombian pesos (around $1.4 million USD) in both the first and second rounds of the election. The violations included unreported expenditures and contributions from sources legally barred from donating to political campaigns, notably labor unions such as the Colombian Federation of Educators (FECODE) and the oil workers’ union USO. Colombian law explicitly prohibits unions from financing political campaigns to prevent conflicts of interest and preserve electoral transparency.
The sanctioned entities include Petro’s main political movement, Colombia Humana, and the historic Unión Patriótica (UP), each fined 583 million pesos (approximately $155,000 USD). Together, the two organizations face penalties exceeding $310,000. In addition, the CNE imposed a combined fine of nearly 5.92 billion pesos (about $1.56 million USD) on key campaign officials, including former campaign manager Ricardo Roa (current CEO of state-owned oil giant Ecopetrol), treasurer Lucy Aydée Mogollón, and auditor María Lucy Soto. Roa was separately ordered to reimburse 165 million pesos for an unauthorized payment related to a campaign event held on election day at Bogotá’s Movistar Arena, an expense that violated timing restrictions.
The 524-page resolution, approved by a 6-3 vote in the CNE plenary, documented 12 unreported financial transactions, including a 120-million-peso donation from USO that was omitted from official reports. Beyond monetary penalties, the council referred the case to the Attorney General’s Office for possible criminal investigation into charges of procedural fraud and illegal campaign financing, with Roa facing particular scrutiny. The findings were also sent to Congress’s Accusations Commission, the only body constitutionally empowered to investigate a sitting president—though no direct sanction applies to Petro himself at this stage.
President Petro immediately rejected the ruling, describing it as a politically motivated attack orchestrated by Colombia’s traditional elites. In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) on November 28, 2025, he stated: “I did not receive a single peso from drug-related sources. I ran a clean and transparent campaign without deception. Now the oligarchy and mafias are trying to reclaim power through manipulation.” He singled out CNE magistrate Samir Abushihab, alleging a conflict of interest because Abushihab had previously served as legal counsel to Petro’s 2022 runoff opponent, former Medellín mayor Federico “Fico” Gutiérrez.
Petro framed the sanctions as part of a broader effort to undermine his administration and the left-wing Historic Pact coalition, warning that accepting the ruling would mean “being judged and fraudulently sanctioned by the paid lawyer of an opposition figure like Fico.” He emphasized one point in his favor: the investigation found no evidence of drug trafficking money or other illegal donations in his campaign. Concluding his statement, Petro declared: “The people will decide: will the country return to paramilitary rule, or will it move toward a Colombia free of mafias and injustice?”
The CNE swiftly responded, rejecting personal attacks on its magistrates and reminding the sanctioned parties of their right to appeal through ordinary judicial channels, including the Council of State. Leaders of Colombia Humana and Unión Patriótica vowed to exhaust all legal and international remedies, arguing that the decision disregards prior CNE approvals of their campaign accounts and constitutes an attack on the popular mandate that elected Petro in 2022.
The timing of the ruling—less than a year before the 2026 congressional and presidential elections—has amplified its political impact. Analysts warn that the fines could severely hamper the left’s ability to reorganize. Colombia Humana is still awaiting formal recognition as a political party, a process already delayed by bureaucratic hurdles and now further complicated by the outstanding sanctions. Without party status, the movement cannot officially fuse with the broader Historic Pact coalition, potentially forcing its candidates to run independently and fragmenting progressive votes.
Opposition figures have seized on the decision to renew calls for accountability, with some demanding Petro’s resignation or impeachment—though constitutional barriers make removal highly unlikely, as no Colombian president has ever been ousted through congressional proceedings. Meanwhile, Petro’s supporters view the sanctions as part of a long pattern of institutional harassment against the Colombian left, drawing parallels to the systematic persecution that nearly wiped out the Unión Patriótica in the 1980s and 1990s.
The case has also cast a shadow over Ecopetrol, Colombia’s most valuable company, where Ricardo Roa now serves as president. Any escalation into criminal charges could force his removal and disrupt leadership at a firm central to both national energy policy and Petro’s ambitious green transition agenda.
As appeals move forward, the controversy underscores the fragility of Colombia’s democratic institutions amid deep ideological divisions. Whether the fines ultimately weaken Petro’s coalition or rally his base around a narrative of persecution will likely become clearer as the 2026 campaign season intensifies. For now, the historic sanctions stand as both a warning about campaign finance enforcement and a flashpoint in Colombia’s ongoing struggle between reformist and establishment forces.
