Laura Sarabia


Laura Camila Sarabia Torres is a Colombian politician and diplomat who has served as Chief of Staff of the Presidency from 2022 to 2023, General Director of Social Prosperity from 2023 to 2024, General Director of Administrative Department of the Presidency from 2024 to 2025 and between January 29 and July 3, 2025 as Minister of Foreign Affairs replacing Luis Gilberto Murillo. Since October 2025, she has served as Colombia’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Sarabia has been characterized as one of the most controversial members of the Petro administration. Graduated in political science from the Nueva Granada Military University, she served as head of debate during Gustavo Petro 2022 presidential campaign, which made her one of the closest members to the president.
Her repeated appointments to high-level positions have been questioned by many experts, academics, and politicians due to her lack of experience and involvement in several major administration scandals—raising speculation that she may possess compromising information about the president as well as the presidential campaign.

Career

Sarabia is a graduate of the Nueva Granada Military University in international relations and has a specialization in political, marketing and campaign strategies. Upon graduating, she worked as secretary to then-Congressman Armando Benedetti, who later introduced her to Gustavo Petro’s presidential campaign and subsequently into the administration. She then served as strategic chief of the presidential campaign of Gustavo Petro, on July 25 she was appointed to the position of chief of staff from which she was removed on 2 June 2023, following the revelation of evidence allegedly implicating her in illegal phone interceptions.
Sarabia was one of two political allies that were involved in the Petro administration that resigned following the scandal, including Armando Benedetti but later returned.

Chief of Staff of the Presidency (2022-2023)

Sarabia was announced as Chief of Staff of the Presidency in July 2022 and took office in August 2022. Her tenure as President Petro's right-hand man ended with her resignation in June 2023 amid allegations of abuse of power by one of her private employees, who alleged was subject to a polygraph test in the basement of the Casa de Nariño. The police man involved, died in mysterious circumstances.

General Director of Social Prosperity (2023-2024)

In September 2023, she took office as General Director of Social Prosperity, replacing Cielo Rusinque. Her time at the Administrative Department of Social Prosperity was less than a year, making her one of the shortest-serving directors of the agency.

General Director of Administrative Department of the Presidency (2024-2025)

In February 2024, she took office as General Director of Administrative Department of the Presidency. After its restructuring, her functions were gradually similar to those of her previous position as Chief of Staff of the Presidency, this time having administrative-level powers within the Administrative Department of the Presidency of the Republic, as well as at the level of his dependencies. Her role as General Director of the DAPRE generated diverse opinions and rethought its role within the Petro administration.

Minister of Foreign Affairs (2025)

On January 28, 2025, she assumed her fourth position in the Petro administration as Minister of Foreign Affairs, which generated controversy from some Cabinet members, leading to later resignations due to the status of Sarabia and Armando Benedetti in the administration. She resigned in early July 2025.