After W Radio’s complaints about unfulfilled payments from the Colombian Opera to artists and contractors From 2022, the voice of the businessman and president of the Aviatur Group, Jean Claude Bessudo, who until yesterday belonged to the board of directors of the Camarín del Carmen Ópera Foundation of Colombia.
Bessudo confirmed to this medium that not only do they owe the artists, but that he made a loan for the foundation for more than 200 million pesos 2 years ago that they have not yet paid him.
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“I turn 77 in September of this year and I think that young people must be allowed to join the boards of the cultural sector in Colombia and one must learn to stand aside. In those meetings, both President Belisario Betancourt and the director at that time, Gloria Zea, put me in all their cultural activity meetings (…) I am big and I must be able to assume my responsibility. René asked me on two occasions for 100 million pesos to catch up and be able to receive resources for the cultural sector. and well, it wasn’t like that. The two times I lent him money he defaulted on me. I trust that one day that will be repaid. The most problematic thing is the debt to the artists,” she said.
Bessudo says that, during the board meetings, Coronado presented the financial situation of the Opera, but that In reality they focused more on cultural aspects.
“He presents us with the financial statements, where there is a global number such as “sundry debtors,” but we try to talk more about the Opera’s programming than the financial aspects. We must not neglect either the administrative or the financial ones. I have insisted a lot on paying and making reservations for the employee social benefits and try to put order in these administrations“, he pointed.
According to Bessudo, there is a serious administrative problem on the part of the Opera and whichthe foundation promised to pay in the second half of this year.
“Yes, there is an administrative problem at the Colombian Opera. I spoke with René Coronado, who was Gloria’s successor and has a debt of approximately 1,000 million pesos with the banking sector and among other debts with suppliers and a debt with the artists of 180 million pesos. He promised me and guaranteed me that he was going to pay off that debt of those 180 million with income from the second semester, both at the box office and in sponsorships. I hope that is covered. “Personally we have supported the Opera on several occasions to get out of debt.”
Finally, the businessman pointed out that the director of the Opera is full of good will and it is he who must announce if he “feels incapable of continuing in the entity or acting as cultural manager.” It should be noted that W Radio invited the director of the Colombian Opera to its microphones, but he indicated that he was not interested.
Listen to the full interview below:
“Colombian Opera owes me more than $200 million”: businessman Jean Claude Bessudo
