(MENAFN) Colombia’s National Electoral Council (CNE) has issued administrative fines against President Gustavo Petro’s political party for surpassing spending limits and accepting unauthorized contributions during the 2022 presidential election, according to reports.

The electoral authority concluded that Petro’s party breached legal financing regulations during both rounds of the election. The political party Colombia Humana, along with Union Patriotica (UP), was penalized approximately $155,000 for exceeding legal campaign spending limits and receiving funds from prohibited sources.

Additionally, the CNE imposed combined fines totaling $1.5 million on Petro’s former campaign manager and current Ecopetrol head Ricardo Roa, as well as campaign financial officers and auditors, for their involvement in the violations.

Through the social media platform X, President Petro defended his campaign’s integrity and criticized the electoral authority’s decision.

“I did not receive a single peso from drug-related sources,” he said. “I ran a clean and transparent campaign without deception. Now the oligarchy and mafias are trying to reclaim power through manipulation.”

Petro also accused a CNE member of having served as a lawyer for his 2022 election rival, Medellin Mayor Federico “Fico” Gutierrez, implying a conflict of interest in the council’s ruling.

Looking ahead to the 2026 elections, he added: “With our commitment to honor and the defense of democracy and universal rights, we do not accept being judged and fraudulently sanctioned by the paid lawyer of an opposition figure like Fico.”

“The only positive outcome of this investigation is that the opposition found no link to drug trafficking or illegal donations in my campaign,” he noted.

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