Original article: “¿Quién lo invitó?”: Petro presiona a Pastrana tras artículo de El País sobre la ruta latinoamericana de Epstein

Petro Pressures Pastrana Over Epstein Connections in Response to El País Article

Colombian President Gustavo Petro is demanding answers regarding former president Andrés Pastrana’s connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Pastrana, who led the South American nation from 1998 to 2002, is currently under scrutiny after the release of three million documents declassified by U.S. authorities, linked to the financier who was convicted for running an international sex trafficking ring exploiting underage victims. Epstein died under questionable circumstances in prison in 2019, officially ruled a suicide by authorities.

Among these documents is a photo showing the former Colombian president with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s primary accomplice, both dressed in Air Force uniforms.

This specific image relates to Maxwell’s participation, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking, in a flight aboard a military Black Hawk helicopter of the Colombian Armed Forces. It was included in an email sent in April 2003, responding to a recipient whose name was redacted in the official documents.

Reports indicate this flight may have occurred during an alleged visit organized by Pastrana while he was president of Colombia.

In the exchange of messages, the sender questioned the authenticity of the photo where Maxwell was captured aboard the military helicopter. «How can I be sure that you are the one in the photo on the helicopter?» was the query posed.

Maxwell claimed to possess additional photographs from the day she piloted the Colombian Black Hawk, a statement that aligns with observations made by author Andrew Lownie in a book about the pedophile’s case.

«I have other photos: receiving information before the flight; kissing my co-pilot upon landing; me with the president of Colombia, who invited me and organized everything — even the terrorists who ran for me to shoot; me doing a backflip in the helicopter; me flying over the Amazon at three feet above the treetops at 200 miles per hour,» she stated.

The mention of the then Colombian president corresponds directly to Andrés Pastrana.

In her email, Maxwell referred to further details that could substantiate her involvement in the flight. «Do you understand what I’m saying? Also, I have the special helmet (that I wore in the helicopter) and two real 7-inch bullets that were given to me as souvenirs. I have them in my office ready to show you and tell you everything when you come to see me.»

The message’s content supports the version recorded by Lownie, who asserts that Maxwell mentioned shooting at terrorists from the helicopter. That claim had been one of the more controversial points linked to the photograph and the incident on Colombian soil.

Amid the controversy, the newspaper El País of Colombia published an article titled: «The Dark Labyrinth of Jeffrey Epstein Through Latin America,» which reveals that the pedophile and his associates traveled through countries in the region such as Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Peru, and Colombia, «on vacations rather than business, where they met powerful businessmen and politicians.»

According to the media, in some instances, these trips «did involve the sexual exploitation of women and girls.»

In the case of Colombia, the declassified documents revealed that a contact of Maxwell was former president Andrés Pastrana, who has faced increased public pressure to account for his association with the pedophile.

«In 2003, shortly after leaving the presidency in 2002, Maxwell sent an email stating that she had piloted a military Blackhawk helicopter over the Amazon during a visit to Colombia and had photos ‘where I am with the president, who invited me and organized the entire event, including the terrorists running around for me to shoot at,'» it read.

«Who Invited Him?»

Colombian President Gustavo Petro reacted to the article, demanding explanations regarding the serious allegations of abuses committed by the pedophile and his trafficking ring in the South American country during Andrés Pastrana’s administration.

«Epstein and his pedophile club were on vacation in Colombia and perpetrated sexual abuses against minors in the country,» he stated.

«Who invited him? Who were his accomplices in the country?» questioned the head of state.

What Does Pastrana Say?

Amid the controversy triggered by his mentions in the Epstein files, former Colombian president Andrés Pastrana has categorically denied any involvement in sexual abuses against minors.

He indicated that the financier’s visit to Colombia was aimed at seeking individuals who could promote Colombia in other countries.

The former president also stated that when Maxwell and Epstein were in Colombian territory, there were no ongoing processes against them or indications that they were pedophiles.

In statements to El País, Pastrana acknowledged that Maxwell «did travel in a helicopter, but it was in Tolemaida, a military base.»

According to him, the magnate’s accomplice flew «over the Blackhawk training field with dummy ‘terrorists’ and was given the jumpsuit that I think was gifted to her afterward.»

In his defense, he argued that in 2003, Epstein «was not publicly recognized as a pedophile, but as an investor with high-level global clients and connections,» and although he traveled with him to Cuba to meet Fidel Castro, it was not on a plane later known as the Lolita Express.

However, the newspaper pointed out that according to declassified documents from 2009, he had further contact with someone very close to Epstein, namely Jean Luc Brunel, a modeling agent and close associate of the late financier and sex offender, who was also found dead in a prison in Paris in February 2022.

«Hello, Andrés (…). I arrive at two o’clock in the afternoon from Lima. Let me know if you have a U.S. phone number so I can call you. I’m very happy to see you again,» reads an email Brunel sent to Pastrana on April 20, 2009.

This message was sent after Epstein informed Maxwell via email that he wanted his associate and Pastrana to meet businessman Tonny Motolla.

«I never had a relationship with Brunel, if I did, it was in one email, or very few,» said the former president to El País.

However, he declined to answer any questions about why he maintained communication in 2009, almost a year after Epstein’s conviction for sexual offenses.