Through a presidential address two weeks ago, President Gustavo Petro announced the removal of three of his ministers from office. Among them, María Isabel Urrutia, Minister of Sports.
(Read: ‘It’s not new’: Ministry of Health on drug shortages).
All kinds of doubts arose around the decision of the president, who appointed Astrid Rodríguez as his replacement. In the last few hours, the President assured that he declared Urrutia “insistent” for “his indelicate actions with the nation’s budget.”
He also announced that the new minister is taking office. The first physical educator, from the Pedagogical University, who is part of a Government. “The physical education of children and youth in the study centers, and the generalized physical activity of the population will be our priority,” the head of state wrote on his Twitter account.
(Keep reading: Fecode and the Government reached commitments in education).
I have declared the sports minister ineffective for her indelicate actions with the nation’s budget. Today the new minister takes office, for the first time a physical educator, from the pedagogical university she will enter a government.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) March 7, 2023
What happened to María Isabel Urrutia?
After the announcement of his departure from the Ministry, the accusations against Urrutia have not stopped. While making the connection with the new minister, it is accused that the athlete has dedicated herself to endorsing contracts for million-dollar sums.
Last Monday, the lawyer Daniel Briceño exposed on his social networks that the Olympic gold medalist in Sydney 2000 had signed 64 contracts worth more than $23.920 million and that he did so before midnight on Thursday, March 3, and early on Friday, the fourth of the same month.
“Since President Gustavo Petro announced the departure of María Isabel Urrutia as Minister of Sports, 264 contracts have been signed for $23,920,982,500 in that Ministry. Many have been made official at midnight. It’s all direct hire”, wrote Briceño, who attached an image of the contracts.
(Read: ‘He put his own to suffer public ridicule’: Petro’s brother).
Well, this Tuesday the lawyer “returned to the charge” and denounced that Urrutia had signed 65 more contracts worth $3,565,146,070.
#UPDATE A lot of EYE since I published this complaint in the Ministry of Sports they signed 65 more contracts for $3,565,146,070.
In total, the Urrutia contract fair in one week already amounts to 329 contracts and $27,486,128,570
Where are the control bodies? https://t.co/pIdcbz4VyU
— Daniel F. Briceño (@Danielbricen) March 6, 2023
“In total, the Urrutia contract fair in one week already amounts to 329 contracts and $27,486,128,570”Briceño wrote on his twitter account.
Although Urrutia was notified of the removal of the position on Monday, February 28, has not delivered the charge because it has not yet been notified in writingas reported by EL TIEMPO.
Along with this, the Olympic medalist assured, for EL TIEMPO, that she will not speak about the signing of these contracts since she complies with the President’s order not to make any more statements to the media.
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