Son of Colombian President Arrested in Money Laundering Sweep

The son of Colombian president Gustavo Petro has been arrested as part of a months-long criminal investigation into money laundering, The Messenger confirms.

According to the Colombian Attorney General's Office, both Nicolás Fernando Petro Burgos and his ex-wife, Daysuris del Carmen Vásquez Castro, were detained in raids carried out Saturday morning.

Petro Burgos, a congressman in the Atlantico province, had been under investigation since March. He has been charged with money laundering and illicit enrichment while Vásquez Castro faces individual counts of money laundering and personal data breach.

The alleged crimes were perpetrated within the last two years.

The Colombian president commented on the arrest, saying he was "hurt" by the allegations.

"As a person and a father, so much self-destruction and the fact that one of my children goes to jail hurts me a lot," Petro wrote in a post to his official Twitter account. "As President of the Republic, I assure that the prosecution has all the guarantees on my part to proceed in accordance with the law."

He wished his son "luck and strength" and said he would not interfere with the prosecution.