Colombia attorney general's office investigating Petro campaign financing

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro speaks as people attend a march in support of his government's proposed health, retirement, employment and prison reforms in Bogota, Colombia, June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's attorney general's office has launched an investigation into reports of the illegal financing of President Gustavo Petro's election campaign last year, it said in a statement on Friday.

The investigation is the latest twist in a political scandal that has destabilized Petro's government at a time when Colombia's first leftist president has tried to push a trio of bills for work, pension and health reforms through the country's Congress.