In the prelude to the Ecopetrol shareholder meeting, an informant has just delivered to the authorities a 43-minute audio that, he says, was recorded in the middle of a breakfast in which he locates three people; one of them, the Catalan Manel Graupersonal friend of former president Gustavo Petro and former first lady Verónica Alcocer.
The other diner, he says, is a powerful contractor known as ‘Victor’. And the third, he assures, would be Juan Carlos Hurtado, the current president in charge of Ecopetrol and who will preside over next Tuesday’s assembly.
READ ALSO
Content and comparison
Ricardo Roa, former head of Ecopetrol; and Juan Carlos Hurtado, acting president. Photo:Private file
What is heard in the recording – made about a year and a half ago – It seems to fit with the investigations that are already being carried out on corruption in contracts and appointments at the state oil company. For this reason, it has already been handed over to the authorities and, they say, it will be transferred to the FBI in Miami within of the same package of complaints filed two weeks ago by the mayor of Medellín, Federico Gutiérrez.
“The audio will be subjected to a forensic examination to prove that it was not edited and to perform a voice comparison, although one of the diners has already confirmed his participation,” the informant told the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO.
In the recorded conversation, there is talk of quotas in senior positions at Ecopetrol linked to Manel Grau, who is credited with having a direct line with the then president Gustavo Petro.
Besides, The interest in drilling contracts is mentioned through the figure of ‘works for taxes’, a fact that fits with one of the points that the internal audit is already investigating – ordered by the new president of the board of directors, Luis Felipe Henao, and executed by Ricardo Rodríguez Yeeindependent member of the board–, which binds Fiduprevisora.
“Thank you for coming (…) It is to socialize with you what they tell us is going to happen this week. Osorio arrives today, after vacation, and is told that now, his time has come. Today is 4, so tomorrow,” a man with a Spanish accent, whose voice is attributed to Grau, is heard saying, at the beginning of the recording.
In this audio you can hear who would be Manel Grau talking about positions in the state company
The same voice mentions that a vice president had already been brought in: “We managed to push a vice president named MS into the chair (…) He is a person who has been in the company for many years, who has a level of knowledge (…) But since he arrived he was not part of the Osorio team and they have tried to separate him. Set aside in what sense? Empty his powers, because works for taxes, out.”
READ ALSO
The meeting with Rojas
The Catalan Manel Grau Pujadas. Photo:Private file
The voice of who would be Manel Grau speaks of having placed a vice president in the state company.
Last June, a 22-second audio clip, also attributed to Grau, had already circulated in the media, in which he was heard saying that he needed two resumes for the positions of crude oil manager in Bogotá and head of the office in Singapore.
At that time, officially, Ecopetrol He told EL TIEMPO that these positions had been filled through internal competitions, which selected people who met all the requirements and had an excellent resume. Furthermore, that same mechanism was used to cover other appointments.
Grau never denied that first audio. And to that was added that Luis Enrique Rojas, former president of Hocol – and today the star witness of the Prosecutor’s Office against Ricardo Roa, former head of the statein the process for influence peddling – admitted to the Investigative Unit of EL TIEMPO pressure from Grau.
According to what he said, he met him at one of the apartments in Roa that he had rented. to tell him that they were going to support him to stay in the branch in exchange for receiving some resumes. In addition, he was supported by Verónica Alcocer, known as the ‘dancer’.
Other appointments
Luis Enrique Rojas, former president of Hocol. Photo:EL TIEMPO/ Private Archive
In another part of the breakfast audio you hear how They ask who they identify as Hurtado that they needed an official to be properly appointed.
“We would like us to ask you, when you arrive, to shed light on this issue (…). And between the two of us, getting people is the key to the development of Ecopetrol”the person identified as Grau is heard saying.
What has caught the attention of the investigators is that in the audio a powerful businessman who is called ‘Bachi’, named Jorge, and who They attribute pressure to him to appoint vice presidents in the state company (paying for the position), to obtain million-dollar contracts.
EL TIEMPO had already mentioned it on August 22 in a testimony that assured that the infrastructure businessman, with only the sixth grade of high school, had ties to criminal gangs.
On this occasion, it is the third interlocutor in the audio who refers to ‘Bachi’ and a “boy” close to Ricardo Roa. In fact, he tells who they identify as Hurtado that he was going to return to Ecopetrol thanks to the efforts of ‘Bachi’ and Grau.
READ ALSO
‘If not, I wouldn’t be here’
‘Víctor’ makes him recognize the one he identifies as Hurtado who came to Ecopetrol through Manel’s management
Ricardo Roa and his partner Julián Caicedo. Photo:Pablo Salgado/Bocas Magazine
“But I come back and tell you, without taking it the wrong way, do you consider and recognize that Manel made efforts in your favor?” says Víctor. And the other diner responds: “Yes. If not, I wouldn’t be here.”
However, ‘Víctor’ insists: “I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but I want to comment on the following. I am the person who received the resume from this Mr. Jorge, from this ‘Bachi’. I receive his resume, I am the one who initially promoted it, with Manel”.
And adds: “There is no objection on the part of this team to Mr. Julián participating in the business opportunities that may arise and that are within his reach. We do not want to become like a thorn in the shoe, we do not want to be the competition of that boy or Ricardo. But let it be clear that there was a very good interference on the part of Manel in your achievement, in reaching this position that is going to be provisional, because, let’s say that the main objective that is going to be achieved is for you to occupy the position of this Mr. Osorio.
In fact, it was proposed that, although the then president Gustavo Petro wanted Edwin Palma to replace Ricardo Roathere was also a possibility that he was the newcomer.
Later, again, the person they identify as Víctor begins to talk about how he helped in the campaign and refers to his alias El Bachi: “Manel, at the head of the team, what he can, let’s say, more than demand, because that word does not exist here, is to share with you those requests that I left with his vice president of projects there (…) I do not appear in any equation, I do not appear in absolutely anything, because if he happens to, let’s say, see a short circuit, I will burn (…) Yes? This does not exist. In case it suddenly became bigger with this Mr. ‘Bachelor’, because everyone now has respect for him, and even fears him, and they are afraid of him, and it turns out that I am not afraid of him, but I do respect him.”
This audio talks about the possible sale of the Permian stake.
READ ALSO
Venezuela and heritage
Permian Basin in the United States. Photo:Ecopetrol
Halfway through breakfast, while the chef was asking how they wanted the omelet, we heard talk of specific business. Even the controversial sale of Ecopetrol’s participation in the Permian well, in the United States. That part of the conversation is attributed to Grau: “One that we are not involved in is the sale of the fracking company. The Permian. But it belongs to the owners of the other. Sell that, I don’t know, for 4,000 million dollars?”
And adds: “And there is an issue of connections with Venezuela, physical connections that can be made to obtain 130,000 barrels a day for the next 20 years. And build its own field, but Ecopetrol does not want to get involved there. Maybe that’s how it works. The president already knows this and I have been in meetings of this type.”
Then, it refers to other contracts: “There are other projects that are works for taxes. They have taken out the contracts with drills to ask you (sic) how many more, the better, because there is an order from above that they take out all the oil, whatever they can.”
This recording talks about the assets of vice presidents and contracts.
Finally, it is proposed that these businesses be monitored weekly. And they issue a warning telling him that it is inconvenient for them to go to Ricardo Roa’s apartment, because it is “ticketed” by the press and everything must be done in person.
The end of the conversation is a comment in which it is stated that several senior officials of the Ecopetrol group during the Petro government paid to be placed in those positions, and the voice attributed to Grau points out in this regard: “I’ll give you a piece of information. The current vice president who has just been appointed, the current vice president of Ecopetrol who has the least assets, has two million dollars. Can you explain it to me?”
READ ALSO
To the internal audit
Former minister Luis Felipe Henao, president of the board and former vice comptroller Ricardo Rodríguez Yee. Photo:Private file
This newspaper officially asked the president (e) of Ecopetrol, Juan Carlos Hurtado, for the meeting in which he was placed and the content of what was discussed. And although he did not deny or confirm his attendance at breakfast that was recorded, he was emphatic that he has always acted in accordance with the rules and the law.
And announced that, After questions from EL TIEMPO, he informed the president of the board of directors, the president of the Internal Audit Committee and the Compliance Department so that the matter is included in the forensic audit. that it be brought forward and investigated if it has acted due to internal pressure or pressure from third parties that could affect the company.
The former minister Henao and Rodríguez Yee confirmed that they received a message from Hurtado informing them of the questions from this newspaper and requesting inclusion in the internal audit.
Grau was also sought, who has already returned the Roa apartment that he had rented. But, at the close of this edition, he had not responded to the messages left on his cell phone in Colombia and on his cell phone in Spain, where – informed sources said – he is back.
READ ALSO
Juan Carlos Hurtado’s response
President (e) of Ecopetrol, Juan Carlos Hurtado. Photo:Naturgás Congress 2026
EL TIEMPO asked the president (e) of Ecopetrol, Juan Carlos Hurtado, for the meeting in which he is placed and if any authority has already asked him about the topic: “Until now, I have not been requested by any authority in relation to what was indicated in your message, so I am unaware of the audio mentioned”.
And he added: “In my 29 years in the oil and gas sector, I have always acted in accordance with the procedures, rules and laws that govern; I have never taken or executed actionsdecisions or appointments due to pressure from bosses, peers and even less third parties.”
He said that his entry into Ecopetrol occurred through a headhunter, psychotechnical tests and interviews.
Regarding the possible businesses in Venezuela that are heard in the audio, he said: “Ecopetrol has not advanced or has commercial agreements or agreements for goods and services in Venezuela. The contracting party is the Vice Presidency of Supply.”
And he suggested consulting Organizational Talent about the positions held by another of the aforementioned people.
“I appreciate that verifications are made before information is disseminated on these topics.“, said.
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
u.investigativa@eltiempo.com
@UinvestigativaET
Follow us now on Facebook
