Ecopetrol dismisses former chief of staff amid forensic audit

Colombian state oil company Ecopetrol dismissed Maria Alejandra Vargas, former chief of staff to Ricardo Roa, on Sunday, September 20, 2026. The dismissal follows internal forensic audit findings into alleged irregular meetings held outside corporate offices, as reported by SEMANA.

The audit targets Sintiendo Huellas, a veterinary clinic founded in February 2019 by Vargas and her sisters in Bogota. Auditors report the clinic was used as an alternate location for secret gatherings of top Ecopetrol leadership, including vice presidents and subsidiary heads, notably during an emergency meeting in May 2025. Vargas's father, businessman Santiago Vargas Ramos, denied that corporate meetings took place there.

Corporate filings showed dramatic operational shifts. Sintiendo Huellas reported COP 813 million in revenue and 21 employees in 2021, but fell to zero revenue, zero workers, and COP 3 million in assets by the end of 2024. In December 2024, Vargas established Oslo y Gales SAS at the identical address with COP 400 million in initial capital, later reporting COP 900 million in revenue, COP 637 million in assets, and 34 employees, despite having no public storefront or digital presence.

Ecopetrol's Compliance Department reviewed the findings and forwarded evidence against Vargas and her father to Colombia's Attorney General's Office for criminal investigation.