Between July 1 and 8, at least five directors and managers of the Colombian Pension Administrator (Colpensiones) left their positions.
The entity assures that with these departures, the aim was to favor several executives with million-dollar severance payments before the change of government.
The double version
However, there is a double version regarding the reasons for the departure of the official workers, with only one month left before the change of government.
Among the officials who left in early July are the Director of Pension Contributions, Stephanie Bornacelli; the Director of Investments, Sandra Barón, and the Manager of Risks and Information Security, Diego Flórez.
Also, the Manager of Information Administration, Wilson Melo, and the Manager of Networks and Incentives, Wendy Mercado.
The version Jaime Dussán gave to EL TIEMPO about the departures is that all were voluntary and he even gave the matter a political tint.
‘Cepeda’s defeat’
“Colpensiones is a commercial, industrial, and financial company and the employees are public, not at-will appointments. So there are people who ask to be compensated and simply leave. And there are about three directors and three managers there,” he explained.
He added: “They leave with a good amount of money. From 100 to 200 million pesos. There are also some who are about to retire and ask for compensation. If Iván Cepeda had won, several would have stayed, but they know the incoming administration will not be Dussán’s.”
When asked for names, Dussán said he did not remember them.
But another version is given by at least two of the mentioned professionals.
‘Unilateral decision’
One of them assured that human resources gathered them to tell them they were leaving their positions or sent them a letter.
“I was notified of my departure from the entity without any justification. It was a unilateral decision. Since it was without just cause, compensation applies,” one of the now former managers told EL TIEMPO.
He explained that if they had been asked to resign or had resigned on their own accord, compensation would not apply.
When asked if the version that they sought to benefit them was true, he said: “That makes no sense. The decision to remove us was unilateral. It was Jaime Dussán’s decision.”
‘No favoritism’
Finally, when asked if it was true that if Iván Cepeda had won they would have continued, he said: “The compensation is the same in this or the next government and, I insist, they did not tell us why the decision was made.”
Another of the dismissed officials, who also requested anonymity, assured that the compensation was not about any favoritism: “I never requested that compensation. On the contrary, it harms me to be removed. In fact, I joined Colpensiones even before this administration arrived.”
He added: “Although they have not paid me, the letter notifying us of the departure says that we will be paid for the time worked.”
And about his supposed continuation if Iván Cepeda had won, he said: “The management of the entity must be apolitical. It should not affect its operation.”
(Check here all the articles from EL TIEMPO’s Investigative Unit)
The departures of the five high-level officials are known amid a parallel controversy over a million-dollar contract for changing the pensioners’ data management platform and complaints about failures in some of the services.
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
u.investigativa@eltiempo.com
@UinvestigativaET
Follow us now on Facebook
