The former Vice Minister Belizza Ruizto whom President Gustavo Petro exercised his resignation last Friday, assured that in the Ministry of Mines and Energy «they were violating» the principles in professional practice and accused his immediate boss, Minister Irene Vélez, of yelling at her, of lying and even putting people on boards of directors who should not be part of it.
(You can also read: Irene Vélez: ‘I have detractors outside and within the Government’)
In an interview with Cambio, Ruiz assured that what motivated her to leave the vice ministry was that «they were violating» the principles in professional practice. «I am a professor of electrical engineering at the National University and for me principles and morality are fundamental in education,» she said.
And when asked if you received any proposal to participate in an act that you consider immoral, make sure that you were not given such a direct invitation but that you did see practices within the ministry that violated your morals.
Although it sounds a bit strong, I felt that they were practices that came from my boss immediately, who was the minister. I spoke to her and reported directly that I did not agree
“Although it sounds a bit strong, I felt that they were practices that came from my boss immediately, who was the minister. I spoke to her and reported directly that I did not agree. That is the main point of my desire to no longer be there ”, she stated in the interview with Cambio.
Likewise, he revealed that Vélez wanted people who are not part of the Ministry to participate in the boards of directors of electricity companies. “When I ask for an explanation of that matter, the way the subject is addressed is not adequate. In other words, I am basically a busybody, being the Vice Minister of Energy, when I question that there should not be people who are outside the ministry in the meetings. That for one thing. But there was also a lack of rigor,” Ruiz explained.
Minister Irene Vélez asked the Vice Minister of Energy, Belizza Ruiz, to resign.
Why did he renounce Petro and not Vélez?
Ruiz says in the interview with Cambio that he made the decision to directly remove the president gustavo petrosomething that he admits was a bit «irreverent», because his relationship with the minister was no longer good.
He stopped being narrow since he heard from an adviser to a congressman that they were negotiating his position to ask for favors. “She asked me what was wrong with me and I told her. I confronted her and told her her team negotiated my office, don’t ask me to have confidence in you because this cannot be. She told me that she had not done it and I decided to believe her words, but the relationship could never be good again, ”Vélez assured Cambio.
However, he says that after that «strong hostility began on the part of the minister.» She says that direct attacks broke out. “I always let her yell, get angry, get upset and well, I kept silent because she was finally not going to make me argue with my boss,” she said.
Ruiz recounts that Minister Vélez stopped being a person with moral and technical authority and it came out spontaneously to say «I do not renounce you.»
President Gustavo Petro and the Minister of Mines and Energy, Irene Vélez.
The Discord Report
This week there was a controversy with an ioil and gas reserves report, which would ensure that the resources would reach 2037 and on which it would be decided not to sign more exploration and production contracts in the country. However, the signature of some people appeared who claimed not to know said document.
«Did Minister Vélez lie? The answer is yes and I have the proof. That test is going to come out, don’t ask me for it today. I will present it later,» Ruiz told Cambio.
Did Minister Vélez lie? The answer is yes and I have the proof. That test is going to come out, don’t ask me for it today. I’ll introduce you later»
And he explained that he did lie because the Hydrocarbons Directorate, which belongs to what was my office, in a WhatsApp communication told him the problems with the document and at the end he told him please do not bring up the issue of reserves because we are going to get in trouble .
“In other words, there was a communication not only from the director of hydrocarbons. In that sense, he lied. I would like my name to be removed from that document, that is, I would respectfully ask her to remove it, ”he assured in the interview with Cambio.
And regarding the letter presented by the directors of the entities attached to the Ministry of Mines complaining that they could not work with it due to technical differences, Ruiz said that it gives him «a little compassion for them.»
“There are people who are clouded by power and these positions give them status and some even money. It’s not my case. I never came to the vice ministry with that intention. I did it because I really believe in the president’s proposal for change, ”she said.
