Ecopetrol, Colombia’s largest and most important company, woke up this Friday, July 24, with the news that it has a new chairman of the board of directors, who during the last four years was critical of the Petro government and the head of the state-owned company, Ricardo Roa.
It is the Rosarista lawyer Luis Felipe Henao, former Minister of State, 46 years old, whose appointment was assumed as key for the upcoming transition in the oil company with the arrival of president-elect Abelardo De la Espriella. As anticipated by EL TIEMPO, Ángela Robledo, whom Henao will replace starting July 31, resigned, as did Tatiana Roa, another Petro supporter on that board.
‘Succession plan accelerated’
EL TIEMPO exclusively established that Henao’s arrival to the position has the approval of the president-elect. And, furthermore, he is considered a bridge to accelerate the transition in the state-owned company, which includes a change of course in the outgoing government’s energy policies and the election of the company’s president in record time.
Henao, representative of the pension funds on the board, was even targeted on social media for his opposition to these policies and to Ricardo Roa’s permanence in the oil company, despite the double criminal indictment against him for influence peddling and for violating electoral spending limits in the Petro President 2022-2026 campaign, of which he was manager.
“What is sought with the arrival of Dr. Henao is to build bridges for the transition and accelerate the process for the new Government to take control of the company in shorter periods,” explained an informed source who assured that Henao connected from Singapore to the state-owned company’s board meeting.
The same source indicated that with the resignation of Robledo and Tatiana Roa, coupled with that of Juan Gonzalo Castaño (about two months ago, by order of Petro), they paved the way for the La Espriella government to renew the board and move the two remaining Petro supporters in the next assembly: Hildebrando Vélez and Antonio José Merlano.
The warning to Roa
EL TIEMPO also established that Ricardo Roa requested permission to connect to the board meeting and, after succeeding, asked to remain from July 27 to August 6, to render accounts.
“With a barrel at almost 97 dollars, due to the international situation, the figures have improved and Roa (who went on leave on May 28) wants to claim them at the last minute,” explained a vice president of the state-owned company.
However, Ricardo Rodríguez Yee, the representative of the departments, warned at the board meeting that with Roa’s permanence, all reputational and legal risks are reactivated, due to his double criminal indictment by the Prosecutor’s Office. Therefore, he will only be allowed to return for three days to deliver his balance and the paperwork for his departure.
“As of July 31, Juan Carlos Hurtado Parra will resume the presidency,” they explained.
Rodríguez Yee, along with Henao, have been leaving strong records regarding Roa’s legal situation, who denies the accusations against him.
Accusation hearing
Next August 20, at noon, Roa is summoned to an accusation hearing for the influence peddling case, an investigation that stemmed from a journalistic inquiry by EL TIEMPO’s Investigative Unit into the murky purchase of apartment 901.
(Consult all articles from EL TIEMPO’s Investigative Unit here)
The intermediary was former police officer Juan Guillermo Mancera, whom, according to witnesses, Roa tried to favor with millionaire contracts at Ecopetrol. Both deny the accusations, and the Prosecutor’s Office is preparing to define the legal situation of the former police officer.
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
u.invedtigativa@eltiempo.com
@UinvestigativaET
Follow us now on Facebook
