Since before the first presidential round, the version was already circulating in Petrism that one of its most seasoned militants, House representative Gloria Arizabaleta was distancing herself from Casa de Nariño.
Even after her brother – Carlos Arizabaleta – was elected congressman by the Historical Pact, a couple of emissaries invited her to have a coffee to try to align her, facing the second presidential round, after the official candidate, Iván Cepeda, was defeated by Abelardo De la Espriella.
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What worried some sectors is that the 58-year-old lawyer from Valle del Cauca was supposedly upset. because at Casa de Nariño they had not met their demands regarding bureaucratic quotas.
Ricardo Roa Barragán. Photo:Néstor Gómez / EL TIEMPO
And, at the same time, from the Commission of Investigation and Accusation of the Chamber he was handling investigations against President Gustavo Petro, which in other judicial and disciplinary scenarios were already advanced, especially that of the violation of limits of the 2022-2026 campaign, which already has its manager Ricardo Roa charged, who will be called to trial in a couple of weeks.
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Under this tense scenario, Arizabaleta ended up moving two files against President Petro in less than a week, unleashing a new scandal within their Government where they are pointing out their militant as a traitor and even an extortionist.
Call and betrayal
Wilmer Carrillo, congressman and member of the Commission of Accusations. Photo:Taken from Facebook Wilmer Carrillo
The matter began to be uncovered on June 3, when together with her colleague Wílmer Carrillo (from the U’), the congresswoman signed a vote rescue, deviating from a presentation by Alirio Uribe (from the Historical Pact). where it was concluded that there was no responsibility of the president for violation of limits.
On the contrary, three years after the investigation began, Arizabaleta and Carrillo asked to call him to the investigation and request twenty pieces of evidence. Those close to Arizabaleta told EL TIEMPO that the decision was made strictly according to law, based on evidence that had already been endorsed by both the Prosecutor’s Office and the National Electoral Council (CNE).
But, in the middle of the week, a second resolution ended up classifying Arizabaleta as an enemy of the President. This time, he autonomously signed the immediate suspension of the president, until the polls of the second presidential round were closed, due to participation in politics.
And although from different sides there were calls to stop the use that the president is giving to the position in favor of the candidate Cepeda, and it was even believed that it was a maneuver to victimize him for the second round, The President himself assured that the decision was a kind of collection account for Arizabaleta for not having acceded to his bureaucratic demands.
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EL TIEMPO established that from Casa de Nariño they called Arizabaleta that same day to ask her what was happening and although she assured that it was a resolution that had not yet been filed and that had been leaked by accident, President Petro ordered one of his lawyers from New York –where she was in the UN assembly- to denounce her for extortion.
It was of no use that Arizabaleta herself reversed the decision, which went beyond her powers. and that cost him an immediate suspension from the Attorney General’s Office for alleged prevarication.
The loot
The Fiduprevisora. Photo:Fiduprevisora
EL TIEMPO revealed for the first time that, according to Casa de Nariño sources, the Petrismo activist had repeatedly requested that she be given the management of Fiduprevisora, an entity with a budget of more than 300 billion pesos, added to the management of the contracting checkbooks of the National Disaster Risk Management Unit (UNGRD). and the National Teachers’ Fund (Fomag), with its juicy health contracts on board.
Added to the size of the loot is that this congressional cell is investigating several judges of the Supreme Court, who have carried out investigations against ministers such as Armando Benedetti and Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo. Regarding the latter, irregularities are not only being investigated in the financing of the campaign for the Congress of the Historical Pact, in 2022, which he managed. In addition, it was requested that he be investigated for the looting of the UNGRD.
Arizabaleta’s bureaucratic appetite around that entity, according to high government sources, even dates back to 2025: “He arrived at a couple of meetings with the resume of a candidate for president of Fiduprevisora.”
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The supposed candidate ended up working for a while at the Fund for the Reparation of Victims, but denied to EL TIEMPO that he had asked Arizabaleta – whom he met when she was the wife of Roy Barreras – to upload her resume: “Zero, it’s false, I’m from a different political shore”
Arrears and amount
Gloria Arizabaleta Photo:Gloria Arizabaleta
But in the Government they insist on extortion and even assure that in ministries, Like the Treasury, there is evidence of pressure from Fiduprevisora.
What’s more, an amount had been set for bureaucratic participation: “There were 56 billion pesos to distribute among several members of the Accusation Commission.”
Germán Ávila, the head of that portfolio, did not answer the calls that EL TIEMPO made to him to talk about the matter. But Petro’s own lawyer, criminal lawyer Alejandro Carranza, spoke of meetings with Arizabaleta in which she asked for a kind of “perks, benefits,” in the face of the investigation for the violation of campaign limits.
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Those close to Arizabaleta assure that she admits the bureaucratic interest in Fifuprevisora, but within the normal dynamics of the relations of the Executive with the groups that support it. Furthermore, it will be defended before the Supreme Court.
What no one has answered yet is, why, if Arizabaleta was after that loot for more than a year, has she only been reported until now? and What will happen to the two files against President Petro for violation of limits and participation in politics?
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
u.investigativa@eltiempo.com
@UinvestigativaET
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