Ecopetrol ex-CEO faces campaign funding trial

Ecopetrol saw its former chief executive Ricardo Roa called to trial by Colombia's Fiscalía General de la Nación for allegedly breaching electoral spending limits. The charges stem from Roa's role as administrative and financial manager of Gustavo Petro's 2022 presidential campaign.

The trial hearing is scheduled for 30 October 2026 before the 11th Criminal Circuit Judge of Bogotá. The decision was issued by the Third Specialized Prosecutor's Office following an investigation into filings submitted to the Cuentas Claras application and the National Electoral Council.

Prosecutors stated that during the first round in May 2022, actual campaign expenses reached $29,924,000,000, exceeding the allowed limit of $28,500,000,000 by $1,388,000,000. In official reports, the campaign registered only $28,384,000,000 in spending.

The investigation also identified $1,193,000,000 in payments and campaign services that were omitted or only partially reported. In addition, prosecutors alleged an improper accounting allocation of $358,586,000,000 in first-round expenses that were recorded as second-round spending to alter records submitted to authorities.