National Scandal: Summary and names of the businessmen involved in the theft of oil from Ecopetrol
The Bunkering Empire, this is the name of the criminal network of white-collar businessmen, who steal our national oil abroad with the help of the ELN
In an unprecedented operation, the Attorney General's Office has dismantled a network of theft and smuggling of oil to Ecopetrol, known as "Bunkering Empire." The investigation has led to the identification of 17 businessmen from the hydrocarbons sector involved in this illegal structure, of which 10 will face trial.
The network of corruption was dedicated to the illegal capture of hydrocarbons, and its way of operating consisted of seizing crude oil clandestinely, making use of the collaboration of the ELN, who stole from the Caño Limón-Coveñas pipeline in Norte de Santander.
The network had complex logistics, using various forms of robbery and smuggling in different departments of Colombia, including Tolima, Boyacá, Cundinamarca, Huila, Valle del Cauca, Santander, Atlántico, Magdalena and Bolívar.
The modality of "barbacheo", theft and illegal trade were some of the strategies used to carry out the theft of hydrocarbons, while low-quality crude was imported clandestinely from Venezuela and Panama to legalize the merchandise through a complex network of companies.
Some of the top names involved in the "Bunkering Empire" have been revealed. Hernando Silva Bickenbach, legal representative of Niman Commerce, is identified as the main buyer of illegal hydrocarbons and the supplier of other companies in the criminal network.
Roger Arturo Gale Gutiérrez, commercial engineer of Gunvor Colombia S.A.S., advised the organization to give the appearance of legality to hydrocarbons coming from abroad.
Others involved are Javier Enrique Márquez Santos, in charge of the commercial part of CI. Petroworld SAS and La Operadora SAS, and Oscar Luis Pastrana Martinez, who traded and mixed the stolen hydrocarbons.
The document reads more names of those involved, including: Hiklirs Abraham Rincones, Paola Margarita Martínez Sánchez, Sergio Fortich Pérez, Jaime Fernández Uribe, Jairo Hernán Devia Cubillos, José Gabriel Márquez Santos and Margarita Delgado de García.
The list of those involved is extensive and includes various companies that lent themselves to give the appearance of legality to stolen and smuggled fuel, while the use of more than 150 movable and immovable assets belonging to criminal organizations was detected.
This dismantling is a milestone in the fight against corruption in the hydrocarbons sector and represents a major blow to organized crime that operated in this lucrative illicit market. The authorities continue working on the investigation and it is expected that the judicial process will shed light on the entire plot and the corresponding sanctions will be applied to those responsible for this crime.