Around 11 a.m. this Thursday, August 6, the so-called advisory council of the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC) is scheduled to meet to analyze a multimillion-dollar process regarding alleged restrictive competition practices.
One of its members assured EL TIEMPO’s Investigative Unit that today they will set their position on the alleged responsibility of Ecopetrol and two of its subsidiaries (Cenit and Ocensa) for supposedly restricting competition in the multimillion-dollar helicopter contracting for at least 12 years.
The visit and the decision
The process is being carried out by the superintendent delegated for competition, headed by Francisco Melo. But within the entity, it is considered an emblematic case with which Cielo Rusinque would close her administration, after the setback she had with the multimillion-dollar sanction on football teams that was suspended.
Furthermore, although the case impacts the management of the oil company during Ricardo Roa’s tenure, the alleged irregular conduct would have been occurring since previous governments.
“We are going to state our position, as has already been done in other cases,” one of the five members of the advisory council explained to EL TIEMPO’s Investigative Unit.
However, this newspaper established that the decision they make regarding the imminent sanction is not binding. Thus, the delegate can continue with the process.
Tailored specifications?
The amount of contracts that have systematically fallen on Helistar reaches 400 billion pesos. And the matter is so sensitive that the Procurator’s Office inspected the file at the SIC facilities.
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What has emerged is that for Melo, there is evidence and traceability that the three companies of the Ecopetrol Group drafted terms of reference and established requirements, tailor-made to favor Helistar from 2011 to 2023. However, the powerful firm does not appear linked to the file.
“We are attentive to the conclusions of the visit made by Procurator Marcio Melgosa (First Delegate for Preventive Oversight of the Public Function) last Tuesday, August 4,” added a senior SIC official.
And she pointed out that in the investigation there are everything from internal emails of state officials and their subsidiaries to testimonies from current and former officials.
And lawyers from companies in the sector, who have reported the matter to other instances, are attentive to the decision which, if made and upheld, could impact the already diminished funds of Ecopetrol as handed over by Roa.
The members of the SIC Advisory Council are Juan Felipe Mejía, José Alberto Gaitán, Andrés Escobar, Mauricio Pérez, and Edgardo Villamil.
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