At 8:25 AM this Thursday, July 23, one of Ecopetrol’s last board meetings began with five of President Gustavo Petro’s appointees at the table and with a sensitive agenda that includes the ‘return’ of Ricardo Roa after the double criminal indictment against him.
However, EL TIEMPO established that at 7 AM there was a prior meeting -of the Government’s board members- at the oil company’s facilities where two points to be included in the agenda were defined.
Two of 5 Petro supporters would resign
High-ranking sources from the oil company told EL TIEMPO that the resignation of Ángela María Robledo, president of the board; and Tatiana Roa was proposed.
“Furthermore, to leave Hildebrando Vélez, father of the outgoing Minister of Environment, Irene Vélez, as the head of that powerful collegiate body,” the same source told EL TIEMPO.
In addition, it was confirmed that, as anticipated by this newspaper, the return of Ricardo Roa, which some believed to be automatic after his medical and unpaid leaves and his vacations, will be debated.
Roa, who is called to trial in the influence peddling case -initiated after an investigation by EL TIEMPO’s Investigative Unit related to the purchase of his apartment-, wants to remain from July 27 to August 1 in a kind of accountability session.
Abelardist landing
And while Roa arrives with a board with Petro-aligned majorities, there will be three opponents who will leave strong records: Luis Felipe Henao (representative of pension funds; Ricardo Rodríguez Yee (from oil-producing departments); and César Loza, from the USO.
(Consult all articles from EL TIEMPO’s Investigative Unit here)
“These records will have repercussions for the other board members before authorities in the United States and Colombia,” said those familiar with the state-owned company’s corporate governance.
Furthermore, although the resignation of two board members facilitates the replacement of members with the arrival of Abelardo De la Espriella to power, the three remaining will stay for at least 50 more days.
In addition to the start of the trial against Roa, scheduled for August 20, he has already been charged with violating electoral spending limits for the Petro Presidente 2022-2026 campaign.
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
u.investigativa@eltiempo.com
@UinvestigativaET
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