Colombian president’s allies exit over nanny wiretap scandal

BOGOTA: Two close allies of Colombian President Gustavo Petro stepped down Friday, embroiled in a scandal over the alleged illegal wiretapping of a nanny suspected by her boss of stealing a briefcase full of money.Petro´s chief of staff Laura Sarabia and ambassador to Venezuela Armando Benedetti are under scrutiny after Sarabia´s nanny allegedly fell victim to illegal surveillance following the disappearance of thousands of dollars from her employer´s house.

To gain access to her calls, a false police report was allegedly used to link the nanny to organized crime -- none less than the notorious Gulf Clan drug cartel, Attorney General Francisco Barbosa told a press conference Thursday. The nanny, Marelbys Meza, has also claimed she was subjected to illegal interrogation and a lie detector test in January at a building annexed to the presidential palace in Bogota.