Eva Ferrer, one of the Spanish advisors who surrounded the government of Gustavo Petro and to the now former first lady Verónica Alcocer, continues to provide relevant information about alleged acts of corruption by her former bosses and friends in the previous four-year period.
Now, in an interview with Semana magazine – which had already revealed some key audios from Ferrer – the former advisor to Alcocer and Dapre releases new depth charges that coincide with revelations that the EL TIEMPO Investigative Unit has been making. In the interview with the colleague magazine he even talks about flights to Caracas from Alcocer to bring money from drug trafficking and even arms trafficking.
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‘Flights to Caracas, money and drugs’
Verónica Alcocer and Nicolás Maduro. Photo:Presidency of the Republic.
“You bring money for something, right? It seems that there are photos of Verónica getting off the plane with gray suitcases in which there were drugs inside and there was movement of capital from there to here and from here to there.”
Ferrer assures in the interview that the then first lady was traveling to Venezuela on a plane assigned to her to make money movements and even talks about drug trafficking.
In fact, he affirms that the Catalan Manel Grau – a personal friend of the first lady – He confirmed the alliance with Caracas and the existence of drug trafficking links.
In that part of the interview, Ferrer confirms that, as revealed by the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO, there is a group called ‘the Verónicas’, who are involved in several acts of corruption that are attributed to Alcocer and that include movements in Ecopetrol. and interests in other State entities, such as the Agrarian Bank, the ICBF, the Cartagena Port Society, the ANI, the Adaptation Fund and Icetex.
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Weapon movement?
Eva Ferrer and the first lady, Verónica Alcocer. Photo:Presidency of the Republic
“When some audios are published (revealed by Semana on August 1), one of the first calls I receive is from a person who tells me that I am crazy, that I do want to be shot. And I say: ‘Excuse me?’. He tells me: ‘You are talking to people who deal in weapons and drug trafficking.’ And, nothing, from then on I have been hiding for two months.”
In at least three sections of the interview, Ferrer assures that among the movements that made by the group that surrounded Verónica Alcocer, there were issues of weapons.
The Catalan Manuel Grau with Verónica Alcocer. Photo:express
And although he does not give further details, when asked about the group that surrounded the first lady he mentions the Italians Enrico Romagnoli and Fabio Mascialino, whom he classifies as financiers of the first lady, but also places them in various meetings and even abroad (Barcelona), where there would have been talk of shady deals.
EL TIEMPO spoke a few weeks ago with Fabio Mascialino about his frequent mentions of Ecopetrol issues, but he assured that the only business he did in Colombia was a million-dollar public contract (200 billion pesos) in Medellín with the Catalan Manel Grau, who today is in litigation after being stopped by Mayor Federico Gutiérrez.
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Cousin Fernández Alcocer
Verónica Alcocer with her cousin, Mario Fernández Alcocer. Photo:Private file
There is a guy, there is a cousin in Miami who has been involved in cryptocurrencies. They come to me with a project in Miami, I say: ‘But what, about women in Miami? What are we going to do in Miami?’ (…) ‘And the counseling, why did you want the counseling?’ (Manel), and answers: ‘To pay for the cousin’s campaign.'”
In the extensive interview with Semana, Ferrer mentions two cousins of the former first lady: one of them Mario Fernández Alcocer, former senator who admitted to EL TIEMPO that he had met with the Catalan Grau on several occasions.
However, Fernández Alcocer assured the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO that the meetings were social and denied any connection with businesses where the Catalans were. In any case, his name appeared on the list that the then candidate Abelardo De La Espriella gave to the United States of notable vote buyers.
The former first lady’s cousin also denied these allegations. And from the relative in Miami, Until now the first movements are being known.
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Sarabia and Angie Rodríguez
Veronica Alcocer; the then president Petro; and Laura Sarabia. Photo:Presidency
And to Semana’s question about what role Laura Sarabia played in the framework of the first lady she is talking about, she responded: “I understand that yes, that his second entry (by Sarabia) is a pact with Verónica (…) In fact, the person who explained to me about the bags says that Laura Sarabia was aware that there was all that.”
Ferrer also mentioned an episode where the former first lady even would have gone from words to physicality with the other top advisor of President Gustavo Petro.
“When they named her head of Dapre, (Verónica) got so angry and told her that she was no one to have that position. That she was unfortunate and he shook her.”
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Contributions to the Petro campaign
The Catalan Xavier Vendrell. Photo:Private file
“I have no idea who Papa Smurf was, but when the news came out about her relationship with him, Manel called me and asked me if I knew anything about that. I didn’t know anything about who was who. In all those meetings, she never put me anywhere. And it stays there. Then another person comes and explains to me that Verónica had met Papa Smurf through Carolina Plata, a neighbor of Carolina Plata, at Carolina Plata’s house. Then another person comes and says that he had gone to collect some money. that Papa Smurf contributed”.
Ferrer also mentions an episode that fits with what President Petro Augusto Rodríguez’s bishop highlighted: that Diego Marín Buitrago, alias Papa Smurf or the Smuggling Czar, made a contribution of 500 million pesos to the Petro campaign and that according to Xavier Vendrell they were returned.
In the equation, however, only now does the then first lady appear, who is also linked – based on revelations from the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO – with million-dollar contracts and appointments at Ecopetrol.
In this regard, Eva Ferrer assures that the first lady even named relatives with the supposed approval of Ricardo Roa, manager of the Petro Presidente campaign and then head of the state oil company.
“Verónica and Manel put Roa as campaign manager. That is the first step they take. When I get to the Government, a lot of Verónica’s relatives start to call me. And in the end there end up being Verónica’s relatives linked to the entity and friends from around them from Sincelejo.”
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
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@UinvestigativaET
