An alleged builder, originally from Neiva, has just become one of the main leads in a criminal investigation seeking to establish shady connections between the Petro President 2022-2026 campaign, alias Papa Smurf, and opaque appointments and contracts at the state-owned Ecopetrol and two subsidiaries: ISA and Cenit.
The first time his name was heard was on February 15, 2025. That day, EL TIEMPO’s Investigative Unit established that he was the fourth person present at a barbecue held at a mansion in Guaymaral, north of Bogotá, where Diego Marín Buitrago, alias Papa Smurf, handed over 500 million pesos in cash to the Catalan Xavier Vendrell for the Petro President campaign, in front of Néstor Daniel García Colorado, co-founder of the Green Alliance party.
The man in the audio
His name is Víctor Hugo Sierra Gutiérrez, although some media call him Víctor Gutiérrez. According to witnesses, the man built two twin houses in Guaymaral, one of which would have been occupied by ‘Papa Smurf’. And, furthermore, he offered powerful businessmen to handle procedures before the Dian, one of the entities where the ‘smuggling czar’ had tentacles.
Sources from the Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to EL TIEMPO that the name Víctor Sierra, 62 years old, reappeared in July in a complaint against another Catalan close to Casa de Nariño: Manel Grau. This time he was linked to an alleged scam against a couple of businessmen to whom Grau had promised dividends for millionaire investments and contracts in the Ecopetrol Group.
According to the plaintiffs’ attorney, Grau claimed to have the backing of Casa de Nariño to conduct those businesses and even made speakerphone calls with the first lady, Verónica Alcocer, and with the president of Ecopetrol, Ricardo Roa.
According to the complainants, part of the 4.9 billion pesos given to the Catalan was received by Víctor Sierra, and there are videos that prove this.
And according to investigators, it is the same man heard in the audio revealed a week ago by EL TIEMPO’s Investigative Unit of a breakfast that Grau allegedly attended and where Juan Carlos Hurtado, acting president of Ecopetrol until a few weeks ago, is also placed. The audio mentions that Víctor Sierra and Grau were the ones who moved Hurtado’s resume to have him return to the oil company.
In fact, he became Roa’s successor after Roa requested a leave amid allegations against him for influence peddling and violation of Petro campaign spending limits.
“One of the investigators on the spending limits issue had already requested information about Víctor Sierra and it is expected that now the case will intersect with the audio revealed by EL TIEMPO and with the alleged scam involving Mr. Grau,” a source from the Prosecutor’s Office told this newspaper.
The ‘Verónicos’
The name Sierra, who in January 2023 was sentenced to 7 years in prison for procedural fraud and document forgery, had already been mentioned even by Augusto Rodríguez, then director of the National Protection Unit (UNP) of the Petro government, who uncovered the contribution to the campaign made by ‘Papa Smurf’ and which was supposedly returned.
Rodríguez said at the time that Sierra had facilitated the meeting between San Andresito merchants and the then-candidate Petro.
Also, that at the barbecue in Guaymaral, he appeared with an electronic bracelet due to his active sentence. And now, what is clear with the complaint filed two months ago is that the Catalans and Sierra would still be involved in business.
And that, furthermore, they mentioned their link with the then first lady.
“The closeness of Verónica Alcocer with this group combines a personal and trust bond with institutional facilities and presence in both public and private agendas. Catalan combo: Manel Grau Pujadas and Xavier Vendrell; Link A: Víctor Sierra Gutiérrez,” reads the complaint filed by lawyer Carlos Soler.
That “combo” at Casa de Nariño was called the ‘Verónicos’ because that is how they presented themselves in some power circles. And witnesses add that there was a fourth person, linked to the Catalans, who also appears in the complaint: “Link B: Andrés Gamero”.
The man from Otanche
The full name is Yeirson Andrés Gamero Martínez, who was at one time linked to Vendrell and the recruitment of electoral witnesses for the Petro President campaign.
His face became known in a photo taken at a luxurious restaurant in Bogotá alongside Ricardo Roa and Johny Giraldo, former son-in-law of Senator Piedad Córdoba, who remodeled apartment 901 of the then head of Ecopetrol, whose existence was revealed by EL TIEMPO’s Investigative Unit in December 2023.
This newspaper found photos and news articles claiming that Andrés Gamero and the Catalan Vendrell visited the largest emerald mines in Boyacá, as delegates of President Gustavo Petro.
One of the visits by Vendrell and Gamero was to the mine of the company Fura Gems, in Coscuéz, on June 14, 2024. And there was a second one, last January, in which Gamero was with the then director of the National Mining Agency, Lina Franco.
Gamero’s version
With the sign “Advisor to the Presidency of the Republic,” Gamero says in the video of the visit what he was there for: “To see how we support from the National Government so that this industry continues to grow.”
In a conversation with EL TIEMPO’s Investigative Unit, Gamero said he never presented himself as an advisor to Casa de Nariño but admitted his closeness to the Catalans.
“I was not the President’s advisor, I had no authority to present myself as such. I know Xavier and we are friends. And I no longer speak with Manel. I do not know the term ‘Verónicos’ because I never met that lady (Verónica Alcocer),” Gamero told this newspaper.
And when asked about his alleged participation in the scam attributed to Grau, he said: “I never received money nor met with businessmen or lenders. I have not been notified of any complaint.”
The mention of Roa
EL TIEMPO contacted one of Víctor Sierra’s lawyers to reach him and ask about the audio, his presence at the delivery of 500 million to the Petro campaign, and the fraud complaint.
Although the lawyer said he represented him in another case and would pass on the message, he had not responded by the time this edition closed.
For 15 days, EL TIEMPO has also tried to contact Grau, but he has not responded to any of the messages left on his Colombian mobile and his Spanish cell phone.
Finally, Carlos Soler, the attorney for the businessmen who declare themselves defrauded – and who mention the Catalans, Víctor Sierra, and Andrés Gamero-, told this newspaper that he has already provided videos, chats, and audio recordings of money deliveries.
(Check out all the articles from EL TIEMPO’s Investigative Unit here)
Also, he has already located the high-end SUV that Grau allegedly asked for to make available to Ricardo Roa, then president of Ecopetrol.
EL TIEMPO also consulted a legal advisor of ‘Papa Smurf’ about his link with Víctor Sierra, but he stated that his client is awaiting the asylum he requested in Portugal and meanwhile must remain silent on his lawyers’ advice.
What does the Prosecutor’s Office say?
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
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