Even in the Houston and Singapore subsidiaries, executives and middle managers are getting ready for the return of Ricardo Roa, head of the Ecopetrol Group, who, just before a double criminal charge against him was completed, requested a vacation, unpaid leave and a more medical leave.
According to the accounts, his recess ends on July 27 and he would be reinstated by law on the 28th of this month, 10 days after the president-elect Abelardo De La Espriella takes office. who has branded him a thief and criminal, in addition to being responsible for the bleeding of the state oil company.
Even in the recent meetings in Washington, with international banks and monetary authorities, Vice President José Manuel Restrepo He said that they will seek to immediately reverse the restrictions on the exploration and exploitation of crude oil and gas imposed by outgoing President Gustavo Petro with Roa at the helm.
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Automatic refund?
Ricardo Roa, president on leave of Ecopetrol. Photo:Private archive and social networks
But in a low voice they assure that Roa himself has notified his return to provide an assessment of his management.
However, high-ranking Ecopetrol sources assured EL TIEMPO that it will not be an automatic return and that there are already voices that will ask that at the board of directors next Thursday the convenience of Roa’s return be discussed for the company. who was already summoned to a trial hearing on August 20 for the influence peddling process.
This arose from an investigation by the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO for the opaque purchase of his luxurious apartment 901, the intermediation of former police officer Juan Guillermo Mancera and pressure for juicy business in the state company, which Roa has denied. The other case is that of the violation of limits of the Petro Presidente 2022-2026 campaign, of which Roa was manager.
“In addition, it will be asked to bring to the table alleged key resignations in the vice-presidencies of Human Talent and Technology that would be accompanied by juicy compensation. And that the board evaluate the status of a project valued at 1,189 million dollars that has already started,” said an official. And he added that they are also seeking to include a package of threats to vice presidents.
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Voting and indictment
Ecopetrol board of directors. Photo:Ecopetrol
On the issue of Roa, EL TIEMPO investigated and established that there is a factor that will weigh when it comes to define his return: that the current board will remain at least 57 more days making decisions and there are Petrist majorities.
Indeed, although the independent members, Ricardo Rodríguez Yee and Luis Felipe Henao, as well as the representative of the USO, César Loza, and Juan Gonzalo Castaño, have recorded the harm of having a president criminally prosecuted, The latter left Ecopetrol by order of Casa de Nariño.
“If the case goes to a vote, with new records included, Roa will have five votes in favor against three. But the five will assume the legal consequences before United States authorities who equate a call for trial with an accusation/indictment.”noted the same source.
And although he denied versions about an alleged meeting between board members to define Roa’s return and his definitive departure from Ecopetrol, he confirmed that In the first assembly held by the De La Espriella government, they will only be able to remove three of the five Petristas from the board.
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The ‘abelardists’
The USO request for the suspension of contracts in the refineries. Photo:Private file
Several executives assure that there is a tense atmosphere due to the accusations from President Petro that ‘Abelardist officials’ are holding up key gas purchase contracts until De la Espriella arrives.
And in Barrancabermeja, pamphlets began to circulate pointing out executives for having requested that refinery shutdown contracts, worth 700 million dollars, be stopped. that were accompanied by complaints about bribe collections of up to 3 percent.
The flyers claim that stopping these contracts in the refineries will trigger layoffs. However, the oil company itself explained that it is a temporary brake, for the 2027 schedule. And this year’s will be fully fulfilled. In fact, next Monday there is a plant shutdown at the Barrancabermeja refinery.
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‘Dirty war’ and the LBCC
Ricardo Roa, president of Ecopetrol on leave. Photo:Private file
“We are in a complex dirty war and it is not free. It is because they want to make it clear to those who must give explanations before justice and to intimidate others that we have acted in accordance with the law. “They don’t want to let us go undefeated with the change of government,” noted a vice president.
And another, who could eventually stay in the state company, talks about threatening notes about smear campaigns against him. It is even said that officials have preferred to go on vacation to avoid signing contracts.
EL TIEMPO investigated and established that one of these would be related to the so-called Fuel Quality Baseline (LBCC), a macroproject that was approved by the board of directors in March 2025 and amounts to more than 1,189 million dollars.
What is sought is to enable a plant at the Barrancabermeja refinery, on December 31, 2030, to adapt the quality of the fuel to the requirements of a standard that comes into force in January 2031 and avoid a possible importation of gasoline.
The project requires several contracts, and those that have already been signed are those for civil works, for the removal and leveling of land, studies, purchase of long-term equipment, engineering and designs, for 130 million dollars.
“However, it is expected that the largest investments will remain with the De La Espriella government,” explained an informed source who added that the vacation departure of Reinaldo Villalba, manager of the refinery project, had been scheduled since January.
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Lawyer Juan David León, Ricardo Roa’s attorney. Photo:Private file
EL TIEMPO officially consulted Ecopetrol about the case of the resignations and the conditions of Roa’s return, but at the close of this edition They only responded to the end date of their license and the fact that, officially, there are still no resignations of executives in the areas of Technology and Human Talent.
Juan David León, Roa’s representative, was also consulted. Nevertheless, He said that he had not been able to communicate with him and that, due to administrative issues, he was not aware of his return.
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