Colombian ex-foreign minister charged over nanny’s lie detector test
Colombian ex-foreign minister charged over nanny's lie detector test. Image source, FLORENCE LO / POOL / AFPImage caption, Laura Sarabia was Colombia's foreign minister from January to July 2025ByVanessa BuschschlüterLatin America online editorPublished6 hours agoProsecutors in Colombia have accused former foreign minister Laura Sarabia of abusing her power after she made her nanny take a lie detector test.
What happened
Sarabia, who was the chief of staff for President Gustavo Petro at the time, resigned in June 2023 but was later appointed as foreign minister and, following her resignation from that post, as Colombia's ambassador to the United Kingdom. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia June 23, 2025. Sergei Karpukhin | Via ReutersIranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit China on Wednesday for talks, Beijing's Foreign Ministry has announced.
"Iranian Foreign Minister Araqchi will visit China on September 16, and Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister, will hold talks with him," a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a short statement published on the department's website. Laura Sarabia is accused of ordering police to interrogate her nanny after cash allegedly went missing from her flat. The scandal erupted in 2023, when Colombian news weekly Semana reported that a woman Sarabia had employed to look after her son had been hooked up to a polygraph and questioned over the alleged disappearance of a case full of cash from Sarabia's flat.
Prosecutors said Sarabia abused her position as his chief of staff by ordering police to question her nanny, Marelbys Meza, over the alleged disappearance of the cash, which was said to amount to several thousands of dollars.
The wider picture
Meza denied having stolen any money during the test, and has consistently denied any wrongdoing in media interviews since. After many work trips and family vacations I’ve tested several—both universal and basic options—and my favorites will work in most parts of the world. Should You Test Your Travel Adapter Before You Go? How I Test Travel AdaptersMore Travel Adapters I LikeTravel Adapters to AvoidBest Travel Adapter OverallPhotograph: Simon HillPhotograph: Simon HillSave to wishlistCepticsGAN 100W Universal Travel Adapter$51 AmazonThere’s a ton to like about this 100-watt universal travel adapter from reliable travel brand Ceptics.
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What happens next
The 32-year-old was one of the closest advisers of Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first left-wing president, who governed from 2022 to August this year. Meza told Semana that she was taken by Sarabia's driver to an official building opposite the presidential palace, saying it felt like "a kidnapping". Police officers then attached her to a polygraph machine and questioned her about the alleged disappearance of the money. Prosecutors allege that in ordering police to question Meza, Sarabia improperly used state resources to investigate a matter which was not related to her official post.
Sarabia rejected the accusation during a hearing, without going into further details. She had earlier said in a social media post that her lawyers were dealing with the issue and that she respected the judicial authorities and trusted their decisions. Skip NavigationMarketsBusinessInvestingTechPolitics & PolicyVideoWatchlistInvesting ClubPROLivestreamMenuKey PointsIran's Abbas Araghchi will meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Wednesday.
The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across bbc.co.uk, cnbc.com, wired.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.