It is still unclear how, despite remaining on the Clinton list, the former first lady Verónica Alcocer left the country 48 hours ago heading to Sweden.
What is clear is that, according to her own statement, she will fulfill personal commitments and return due to the investigations against her: “I will return in a few days. From the beginning, we made ourselves available to justice with transparency to clarify the truth.”
Ecopetrol and the audios
The now former first lady refers to the audios that have started to leak in which she is accused of having a network of front men and businesses in state entities, especially in Ecopetrol. Indeed, her former advisor and friend, Eva Ferrer, is heard talking about the matter.
“Verónica has several cousins as front men. The one who threatened me is the front man of the cousin. They offered a notary to an acquaintance of mine who had given information to mess with me. A mafia. They are criminals. I have been extracting information from Manel. So, I already know who Manel’s front man is. The Italian. Of course, what do you think? He depends on the Italian,” is heard in one of the audios published by Semana magazine, which Ferrer has called illegal, published without her authorization and violating her right to privacy.
However, the matter not only began to be investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office, but also, at the oil company they are nervous about million-dollar contracts and recommendations that came in the name of the now former first lady and supposedly with the help of her friend, the Catalan Manel Grau.
The Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO revealed the testimony of the former president of Hocol, Luis Enrique Rojas, who claims he was contacted by Grau and summoned to one of Ricardo Roa’s apartments, then head of the state company, where Alcocer’s support was offered so that he would stay in the position in exchange for receiving resumes.
This newspaper also revealed emails sent by Ferrer to Roa requesting sponsorship for a million-dollar project known as ‘Colombia, beyond memory’.
Although, Ferrer told EL TIEMPO that it was initially a personal initiative that she later moved from Dapre when she returned to the Government and that it was never realized, the audios refer to that topic, which included the editing of books with images by photographer Mauricio Vélez.
“Eva has had to endure Mauricio’s anger at home, him demanding the books, because the lady (Verónica Alcocer) had committed to 30,000 books,” is heard in another audio.
And now, EL TIEMPO exclusively established that there are at least 20 audios circulating that are part of a dossier intended to prove that Alcocer’s influence – known in Ecopetrol as the dancer – went beyond strategically placing pawns in the state company and its subsidiaries.
The audios talk about drill contracts and the programs ‘Colombia Solar’ and ‘Works for Taxes’.
There are details of in-person meetings, appointments of vice presidents and high-level executives, and even interest in signing a contract for casino service for more than 170 million pesos.
This newspaper obtained internal emails from the state company where officials refused to approve Ferrer’s initiative, stating that it was not a core aspect of Ecopetrol and that part of it would be developed in Miami where they had no operations.
Catalans and Italians
However, they have not explained why they sponsored the race ‘For the Colombian Police’ in 2024 also in Miami, when the director of that institution was William Salamanca and several Police pawns landed in Ecopetrol.
The trail in Ecopetrol of Grau, the Catalan who, like Xavier Vendrell, had access and prominence in the Petro government, would be proven through a series of audios where he talks about even placing the person in charge of the state company’s office in Singapore, movements that Ecopetrol has denied.
Vendrell was the one who received from Diego Marín Buitrago, alias Papá Pitufo or the ‘smuggling czar’, 500 million pesos for the Petro campaign. Regarding that case, the outgoing government said there is a video of the money being returned, but it was never published.
It was learned that Grau was an advisor to the First Lady, a member of the board of directors of Central de Inversiones S.A. (Cisa), linked to the Ministry of Finance, and that he crowned a garbage business in Medellín for 251 billion pesos, through the company Themac Colombia, where the Italian Fabio Mascialino appears as one of its partners.
Also, that he lived in the apartment occupied by Ricardo Roa before buying the luxurious penthouse 901, which was revealed by the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO and which today has him involved in a judicial process for influence peddling.
The audios of Eva Ferrer –who mentions Grau several times – were expanded by Ángela Benedetti, sister of the outgoing Minister of the Interior, Armando Benedetti.
“There are two Italians: one in the garbage business. And the other is in defense matters sales. What’s his name? It is rumored that he is the boss Manel Grau, who financed the trip to Italy, right after Petro won the elections (…)”, Benedetti said on her social media.
EL TIEMPO located Fabio Mascialino abroad, who initially assured that he does not know Ferrer or Ángela Benedetti. And asked if his name had been mentioned in Benedetti’s tweet.
When told no, but that it was evident they were talking about him, he stated that the only business he has done in Colombia was the garbage business, which he won legally in an international tender and that now he is in a dispute because he was suspended under the argument that Grau was a friend of Gustavo Petro.
About the now former president and his ex-wife Verónica Alcocer, he said he has known them for 15 years since he held the mayoralty of Bogotá: “You should know that I have been in the garbage business for more than 35 years and this is the first time something like what happened to me in Colombia has happened. We are waiting for justice to decide.”
In the dossier they will request to be investigated, a ‘Enrico’ is also mentioned who usually travels to Colombia at least once every two months, stays at a 5-star hotel on 85th Street with 13th Avenue, north of Bogotá, and works in one of the block’s restaurants.
“A Chinese solar panel company that has one of these characters as legal representative must be tracked to prove or rule out if they are the front men Eva Ferrer talks about”, said a high-ranking official of the state company.
(Check here all the articles from the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO)
The first lady insists that her conduct is impeccable and that she will return to the country to face justice.
For now, the Prosecutor’s Office has informed her that she does not appear as a suspect or accused in any process.
And in an interview with EL TIEMPO, when asked about the first lady’s businesses, Eva Ferrer said she would not refer to the leaked audios.
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
u.investigativa@eltiempo.com
@UinvestigativaET
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