Far-left President of Colombia Gustavo Petro admitted he spent money at a Portuguese strip club in 2023 — but claimed on Thursday he does not “need to buy sex” because he still has “some capacity for seduction,” leaving unclear the purpose of his visits.
The embattled socialist ex-guerrilla member advised readers on the social media site Twitter that one should always “combine sexuality with culture, that is called eroticism.”
This week, Petro single-handedly triggered another controversy for his administration by requesting that Colombia’s Financial Information and Analysis Unit (UIAF) disclose his personal banking movements and financial transactions. UIAF is a special office of the Colombian state that fights money laundering, terrorism financing, and other related crimes.
According to Petro, revealing his financial transactions would “contradict” accusations levied by President Donald Trump last month. Trump accused Petro of being an “illegal drug dealer.”
Colombian outlets reported that IUAF’s report contains Petro’s transactions from 2023 to mid-June. While the records show miscellaneous transactions such as mortgage payments, private medical expenses, and payroll deposits, the report also revealed that Petro, a socialist, made several lavish purchases in some of the most renowned American and European luxury stores in recent years.
Most notably, and the cause of widespread outrage, the report revealed that, on May 2023, Petro spent money at the Ménage Strip Club in Lisbon, Portugal, an establishment that reportedly boasts of having the “most attractive girls” who “are ready to give you an unforgettable experience, satisfying all your dreams and desires.” According to the financial transaction, Petro visited the strip club when he was in Portugal for an official two-day visit on May 6 and 7.
“A state tour seeking to position Colombia at the forefront of the world stage has finished,” Petro said in a social media post on May 7, 2023. He accompanied the text with a black and white photo of himself.
The revelation of Petro’s 2023 strip club visit immediately drew outrage from a wide array of Colombians, ranging from conservative politicians and former senators to Colombian feminist organizations.
In response to the outrage, Petro published a social media post admitting he did spend money at the strip club, adding ominously, “someday I’ll tell you why I spent 40 euros at that place.” He emphasized, however, that the public should focus on the rest of his banking records so “[you] can see the kind of arbitrariness” allegedly committed against Colombia by President Trump’s determination designating Colombia as a drug war failure. The designation allows the targeting of Colombian officials with U.S. sanctions.
“Do my bank accounts over the years prove that I am the head of drug trafficking in the country, or have I been slandered?” Petro wrote.
Petro, responding to Colombian conservative lawmaker Andrés Forero, published a second rant on Wednesday night inviting him to “compare” their financial transactions and credit cards, downplaying the 200,000 Colombian pesos (roughly $53) that he spent at the strip club and asserting that he does not “need to buy sex.”
“But, and I’ll talk about my private life one day, I don’t ask you to talk about yours, I don’t need to buy sex, I don’t like it. I still have some capacity for seduction that allows me to avoid resorting to those practices of sad men,” Petro wrote.
On Thursday, Petro published further statements in response to Colombian journalist María Andrea Nieto. He advised that there are “two things” he learned in life: “not to sleep with a woman who does not stir anything in my heart, and not to buy sex when I am still capable of seduction and poetry.”
“Sexuality must always be combined with culture; that is called eroticism. I advise you to do so,” Petro said.
“Now, if you manage to make your energy and that of the universe flow through every cell of your partner’s body, I believe you achieve the maximum potential of human life, and that cannot be bought. So don’t get me wrong,” he continued.
Petro’s second ex-wife, Mary Luz Herrán, defended her ex-husband amid the controversy. Herrán, in a social media post, wrote, “I imagine that my ex’s detractors are burning with rage at not having any evidence of corruption, but only a measly 49 euros spent at an adult site. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Hypocrisy incarnate.”
Like Petro, Herrán is a former member of the Marxist M19 terrorist group, having met Petro when she joined M19 in 1988.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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