The Attorney General’s Office reported that it will open an investigation to determine if there are irregularities in the contract signed between Public Companies of Medellin (EPM) and Canacol to acquire natural gas.
(You may be interested in: Ecopetrol warns of risks to gas supply in the northeast of the country).
The disciplinary control entity indicated that a preliminary investigation is being carried out against officials, in order to establish alleged irregularities. According to information from the Third Delegate Attorney General’s Office for State Contracting, EPM signed a legal agreement with the Canadian company for more than $5 billion, with the aim of guaranteeing the supply of the resource for the next 10 years in the district of Medellín, which included the construction of a gas pipeline between Córdoba and Sucre (Jobo – Medellín).
Among the points that he said would be the subject of investigation is the actions of the then mayor of Medellín, Daniel Quintero, who allegedly withdrew Promigas from the negotiations, which was interested in building the transport infrastructure.
(Besides: The legal effects that the Government’s agrarian jurisdiction project would have).
“The Attorney General’s Office will analyze the background of the contract that was apparently signed two years later between EPM and Canacol, as a result of which the company Shangai Engineering Technology Corp -Setco was chosen to build the gas pipeline, created in Panama apparently 12 days before it was signed and with a recent past in the food business.”they said in a statement.
It is worth remembering that the contract for the delivery of gas and the construction of the pipeline was cancelled by Canacol in October 2023.
The cancellation occurred shortly before the first volumes of gas were due to be delivered under the terms of the contract. According to Canacol, the project was still undergoing environmental licensing procedures and had faced legal, environmental, social and safety difficulties.
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