After statements by the Vice Minister of Energy, they request the resignation of Vélez

It seems that the controversies around the Minister of Mines, Irene Vélez, will not stop anytime soon. The senior official has been widely cited and defended a report stating that the country’s gas reserves would be sufficient until 2037.

(Read: Did the minister lie?: The answer is yes and I have proof, says Ruiz).

However, several members of his team have come to affirm that this report contains gaps and irregularities. Among them, the Vice Minister of Mines Belizza Ruiz, whose resignation was accepted by President Gustavo Petro on January 29.

In an interview for ‘Cambio’, Ruiz assured that Vélez iswould be lying about the report. He even talked about how he yelled at her on several occasions and included people who should not be part of it on boards of directors.

“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 it later”, Ruiz sentenced to ‘Change’. Given the statements, there are several people who are requesting the resignation of the Minister of Mines. Even guilds.

(Also: Petro accepts the resignation of the Vice Minister of Energy).

One of them is former senator Jorge Enrique Robledor, who wrote on his Twitter account: “Arguments to spare to demand the resignation of Minminas @IreneVelezT. Because it is doing, in various ways, serious damage to Colombia. And @petrogustavo does more damage by keeping her in office “.

Along with it, Juan Espinal, representative to the Chamber for Antioquiawho assured: “If Minister Irene does not resign, we will again promote a motion of censure, as well as a lawsuit for the alleged crime of falsifying a public document and impersonation. Crime is crime!”

For his part, the lawyer Rodrigo Lara rejected the actions that Ruíz reported on the minister: “The Minister of Mines is not suitable for her portfolio. The cost of having the Vice President’s sector represented in that portfolio harms Colombia. With her improvised statements she generates anxiety in the country’s economy. It even hurts her government.”

(In addition: They open an investigation into the Minister of Mines, Irene Vélez).

Even the resignation requests were added the Santander mining union. According to the association, the behavior of Irene Vélez does not provide the guarantees to solve the different problems that the sector has, not only in Santander, but throughout the country, according to Edwin Esteban, a member of the Mining Defense and Development Committee of Soto North.

“Unfortunately, the only thing that the minister’s actions demonstrate is her improvisation and ignorance of the sector, a sector that today must have a suitable person, taking into account the demands that the modern world is demanding, especially in terms of energy transformations”, assured the union leader.

The opposition also began to call for the resignation of the minister. It is the case of the Congresswoman Maria Fernanda Cabal.

Several congressmen have affirmed that they will promote the initiative in parliament. “This warrants the resignation of Minister Irene Vélez. From the Congress of the Republic we will call for a debate on political control with a motion of censure, because this cannot go unnoticed (…) Energy security is essential, but now, not only impotence has been exposed, but also the lies that it informs the minister”, asserted Senator Ciro Ramírez of the Democratic Center.

(Read: The origin of the ‘divorce’ of Irene Vélez and her Vice Minister of Energy).

For his part, representative Juan Espinal said: “Without a doubt, from the Congress of the Republic we will have to promote, once again, the motion of censure so that it explains to all Colombians the remarks made by the former vice-minister, where she says and manifests to her, about the falsity of the document.

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