A handwritten retraction signed from prison by David Murcia Guzmán, the convicted architect of Colombia’s infamous DMG pyramid scheme, has set off a new political storm in Bogotá. In the document, which began circulating late on September 24, Murcia walks back explosive claims he made earlier this year in a radio interview accusing then-candidate, now-President Abelardo De La Espriella—once his own defense attorney—of improperly pocketing money paid to him as legal fees.
According to the retraction, Murcia says he made those February 2026 allegations, timed to land in the middle of the presidential race, after associates close to former President Gustavo Petro’s administration floated the idea of naming him a “peace manager.” That designation, tied to Colombia’s ongoing peace processes, can open the door to reduced sentences or even release for people serving time, which Murcia says was the real incentive behind his original statements.
Petro’s government had previously declined to comment on whether such an offer was ever made. Now, journalists at El Tiempo say they have obtained the administration’s official response to questions about the alleged arrangement, shedding new light on a case that ties together a decade-old financial fraud scandal, presidential politics, and Colombia’s delicate peace-building mechanisms.
Read the full investigation at El Tiempo for the government’s complete response and further details.
Source: ¿Qué pasó con el indulto a David Murcia, cerebro de DMG que se retractó por señalamientos contra De La Espriella? (eltiempo.com).
Image: Karen Roe, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).