The list of seven Colombian politicians and former officials whose visas have just been revoked by the United States brings together names that in recent years have appeared in files of the Attorney General’s Office, investigations of the Supreme Court of Justice and actions of control organizations.
Among them there are congressmen called to trial for alleged acts of corruption, a former Ecopetrol director who faces two criminal proceedings and a mayor investigated for his alleged ties to illegal organizations. The document includes Ricardo Roa Barragánformer president of Ecopetrol; Yahir Fernando Acuñamayor of Sincelejo; Wadith Manzur Imbettsenator-elect; Karen Astrith Manrique Olarteelected representative; Julio Elías Chagüi Flórez and Liliana Esther Bitar Castillaformer senators, and José Ignacio Mesa Betancurformer congressman and former mayor of Envigado.
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Although their judicial situations are different, four of the members of the list—Manzur, Manrique, Chagüi and Bitar— share a background: Their names appeared in the investigations for the management of public resources and the alleged directing of contracts to obtain political support in Congress during the government of Gustavo Petro, within the UNGRD scandal.
José Ignacio Mesa Betancur. Photo:Private file.
Ricardo Roa and the two files of the Prosecutor’s Office
Two judicial processes have marked the situation of Ricardo Roa Barraganwho was manager of the presidential campaign by Gustavo Petro in 2022 and later assumed the presidency of Ecopetrol.
The first is related to the alleged rape of the electoral limits during the campaign that brought Petro to the House of Nariño. The Prosecutor’s Office initially established that there would be irregularities by 2,024 million pesoscorresponding to 451 million in unreported contributions and 1,573 million related to hotel bills, advertising and air tickets.
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The second process It originates from an exclusive investigation by the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO, about the purchase of an apartment in the Chicó neighborhood, in the north of Bogotá. As this newspaper revealed, the property was acquired for nearly 1.8 billion of pesos to the ex-policeman Juan Guillermo Mancera. The Prosecutor’s Hypothesis indicates that Roa would have received a benefit on the price of housing in exchange for favoring Mancera’s business interests through contracts linked to Ecopetrol.
Karen Manrique and Wadith Manzur Photo:EL TIEMPO Archive
Wadith Manzur, Karen Manrique and Liliana Bitar, called to trial for the UNGRD case
Three of the politicians appear in the same file of the Supreme Court of Justice. It is about Wadith Manzur, Karen Manrique and Liliana Bitarinvestigated for allegedly having compromised their legislative functions in exchange for benefits related to public procurement.
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He March 11, 2026the Investigative Chamber of the Supreme Court called Manzur to trialManrique and Bitar, along with Julián Peinado, Juan Pablo Gallo and former representative Juan Diego Muñoz, for the crime of improper bribery. The high court also ordered deprivation of liberty to Manzur and Manrique, elected in the legislative elections of March 8.
The investigation focuses on alleged agreements between congressmen and government officials to obtain favorable concepts about public credit operations and support Executive initiatives.
The files include projects that were intended to be executed in Saravena, Arauca; Cotorra, Córdoba, and El Carmen de Bolívar, Bolívar. According to the investigations, the assignment of these contracts would have served as compensation by decisions taken by parliamentarians in the exercise of their functions.
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Karen Manriquerepresentative for one of the peace seats, also appears in the file for his alleged intervention in the agreements that would have allowed resources to be channeled towards projects of interest to congressmen. The Court examined documents, testimonies and meetings held with former directors of the UNGRD.
In the collected material the statements of Olmedo López appear and Sneyder Pinillaformer directors of the entity, as well as the versions of the former counselor for the Regions Sandra Ortiz and the former Minister of Commerce Luis Carlos Reyes.
Liliana Bitarfor its part, was linked to the same process for their participation in the decisions that would have been negotiated with officials of the Ministry of Finance. The researchers have examined the operations process of external debt and contacts between members of the Interparliamentary Commission on Public Credit and Government delegates.
Ricardo Roa Barragán, former head of Ecopetrol. Photo:Private file
Julio Elías Chagüi and the contracts investigated by the Court
The former senator Julio Elías Chagüi Flórezfrom the U Party, appears in another chapter of investigations related to the alleged exchange of contracts for legislative support. your name appeared in the statements of Maria Alejandra Benavidesformer advisor to the Ministry of Finance, who told the Prosecutor’s Office about meetings and communications related to projects of the National Highway Institute (Invías).
Benavides too assured that the then senator would have spoken of his capacity for dialogue with nine members of the First Commission of the Senate and the existence of 15 indicative quotas to support the Government’s legislative agenda.
Yahir Acuña declared that he felt intimidated. Photo:Social networks
Yahir Acuña and investigations into alleged links with illegal groups
Unlike the congressmen investigated for the UNGRD case, the processes that they involve the mayor of Sincelejo, Yahir Acuña Cardales, have as one of their axes the alleged links with illegal armed organizations that operated in the Caribbean region.
In the Investigative Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice files a file for the alleged commission of the crime of conspiracy to commit aggravated crime. The investigation seeks to establish if Acuña would have participated in the promotion of illegal structures in the region.
The process has among its antecedents the statements of Juan Manuel Borré Barretoformer head of the ‘Rastrojos Costeños’, who made accusations against the political leader. In July 2024the former paramilitary chief Salvatore Mancuso also stated before the Court within the actions related to the mayor.
José Ignacio Mesa, convicted for his links with ‘La Oficina de Envigado’
The situation of José Ignacio Mesa Betancur It is different from the other names on the list. The former mayor of Envigado and former senator He was convicted of conspiracy to commit a crime aggravated by his links with criminal organizations that would have supported him to reach elected positions.
At the end of August, the Supreme Court of Justice made firm the 6 year prison sentence against the former mayor of Envigado and former senator José Ignacio Mesa Betancurfound responsible for the crime of conspiracy to commit aggravated crime for their links with illegal structures, after establish that you received support of these structures in his campaigns for the Mayor of Envigado, in 1995, and for the Senate of the Republic, in 1998 and 2002.
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The judicial investigation determined that the criminal organization contributed economic resources and electoral support for Mesa in exchange for influence in municipal administration offices. Also in the file the testimonies were examined of members of paramilitary structures, among them Juan Carlos Sierraknown as ‘El Tuso’, and Diego Fernando Murilloalias ‘Don Berna’.
The Court made the custodial sentence firm of freedom, denied house arrest and issued a disqualification to exercise public rights and functions, in addition to a fine.
Justice Editorial
Justicia@eltiempo.com
