Former Colombian Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia Charged with Abuse of Power in Nanny Polygraph Scandal

Colombian judicial prosecutors have formally charged Laura Sarabia, the country’s former foreign minister and one of its most prominent political figures, with abuse of power. The criminal charges stem from allegations that she improperly authorized and directed state security forces to administer an unauthorized lie detector test to her domestic employee.

The legal proceedings represent the latest development in a high-profile controversy that has reverberated across Colombia's political landscape since 2023. At the center of the judicial case is the treatment of Marelbys Meza, who was previously employed by Sarabia to take care of her young son.

The case first emerged into the public eye when the Colombian investigative news weekly Semana published an extensive report detailing how Meza had been subjected to coercive interrogation techniques. According to the investigative reports, the domestic worker was strapped into a polygraph machine and aggressively questioned by law enforcement officials.

The interrogation was initiated after a significant sum of money, reportedly amounting to several thousands of dollars stored in a case, allegedly went missing from Sarabia’s private residence. Rather than following standard civil or law enforcement complaint procedures, prosecutors maintain that public authority was improperly mobilized to address the household dispute.

According to statements provided by Meza to Semana, the domestic worker was collected by Sarabia's official driver and driven directly to a government-owned building situated directly across from the presidential palace in the capital. Meza publicly characterized the sudden transportation and subsequent detention as an ordeal that felt like "a kidnapping."

Upon her arrival at the state facility, police officers attached Meza to a polygraph apparatus and subjected her to intense questioning regarding the vanished funds. Throughout the administrative interrogation, Meza firmly denied taking any of the missing cash, maintaining that she had no involvement in the alleged theft from the apartment.

Meza has consistently reiterated her complete innocence across multiple interviews with domestic media outlets, highlighting the intimidating nature of the official interrogation she endured. She maintained that she was subjected to disproportionate scrutiny by state agents operating outside standard legal frameworks.

Prosecutors handling the indictment allege that Sarabia crossed clear legal boundaries by ordering active police personnel to conduct a coercive interrogation over an entirely personal matter. The prosecution's case rests on the argument that Sarabia improperly diverted state resources and personnel to resolve a private domestic incident that had no connection to her official governmental duties.

During a formal court hearing, the 32-year-old former minister formally rejected the charges presented by the prosecutor's office. Sarabia declined to provide extensive specific details regarding her defense during the preliminary legal session, choosing instead to enter a formal denial of wrongdoing.

Prior to the hearing, Sarabia had addressed the ongoing legal scrutiny through a public statement on social media platforms. In her message, she indicated that her legal defense team was actively managing the case, while asserting her complete respect for Colombia’s judicial institutions and stating her full confidence in the impartiality of their final findings.

Sarabia had long been regarded as one of the most trusted and influential confidantes to Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first left-wing president, whose presidential administration governed the South American nation from 2022 until August of this year. At the time the polygraph incident took place, Sarabia served as Petro’s chief of staff, exercising considerable administrative control and authority within the presidential palace.

The emergence of the Semana report in 2023 caused an immediate political firestorm for the administration, culminating in Sarabia’s initial resignation from her chief of staff position in June of that year. The scandal raised urgent questions within Colombian civil society regarding the boundaries between official executive authority and private personal interests among senior government officials.

Despite her initial departure under public pressure, Sarabia later returned to high-level governmental duties under Petro's administration. She was subsequently appointed to lead the foreign ministry, serving as Colombia’s foreign minister from January until July 2025. Following her resignation from the diplomatic helm, she was appointed to serve as Colombia’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.

The formal prosecution of such a senior diplomat marks a notable judicial chapter in the aftermath of the Petro administration. As the criminal case moves forward through Colombia's judicial system, prosecutors will focus on holding public officials accountable for the alleged misappropriation of state power and law enforcement machinery for personal affairs.