Complaints made by officers of the Colombian National Army are revealing alleged manipulation in the military promotion process by the Minister of Defense, Iván Velásquez, and his private secretary, Adriana Fernández.
Although, for now, the disagreements have been issued by uniformed officers who have preferred to remain anonymous, the situation is generating enough discontent to lead to accusations of political persecution and discrimination within the Military Forces.
An Army colonel with more than 27 years of service whose identity remains confidential, for security reasons, stated in Week that “what I am going to say sounds ugly, but it is reality, the high command allowed the institution to be manipulated, now promotions are decided by a secretary without military training.” In fact, the officer highlighted that, although his resume had the approval of the Military Forces, his promotion was blocked by the minister’s office. In addition, he explained that the evaluation process for promotion is extensive and includes academic, physical, polygraph tests, internal investigations and family studies.
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Other soldiers interviewed by the same media expressed similar concerns. An active colonel insisted that “the Minister of Defense is politicizing the force, that should not happen.” According to this officer, in some cases, promotions are observed for officers with serious investigations, while others, without stains in their career, are denied promotion. The uniformed man also has an active process in the JEP, although he stressed that in the past his case had been ruled in his favor and was reopened due to the peace process with the FARC.
Iván Velásquez, with these complaints, was accused of following a pattern that excludes long-serving officers, especially those involved in special operations against the FARC. For this reason, “the message to those who are inside is not to be part of the special forces because there you almost always end up with investigations and that becomes a problem for promotion,” commented one of the soldiers interviewed.
Through military sources, in Week It was discovered that this is not an isolated practice of the Ministry. The affected officers point out that, after going through a year of rigorous filters and internal evaluations, their promotions were blocked by Fernández, the secretary of Minister Velásquez, who would have imposed non-binding recommendations from the Truth Commission, directed by Father Francisco de Roux, who, in turn, suggested that soldiers with judicial investigations should not be promoted. However, those in uniform argue that this suggestion violates their right to the presumption of innocence.
According to the media’s information, the Minister of Finance defended the role of his private secretary and declared that “On several occasions, in accordance with her duties, Dr. Fernández collaborates with the role of reviewing, but it is I who, once the supports and documents are presented to me, define the position to be taken in the different meetings. and she is in charge of transmitting it to the Human Talent units of each force.”
An example of the controversy is the case of Colonel Carlos Feria, who, despite being accused by the Prosecutor’s Office of serious crimes in the Marelbys Meza case, was promoted. And for that reason, the contrast with other cases that are not controversial marks much more frustration among officers who have not been charged or formally accused, but whose promotions were hindered.
Lawyer John Castro, an expert in military law, warned in the media that the minister’s actions could lead to patrimonial detriment. He predicts that officers barred from promotion would sue the state and possibly win. Finally, high-ranking officers insist that the promotion system must respect meritocracy and established norms. “I feel betrayed,” said an officer, who stated that the circumstance is serious while the silence of the high command would contribute to the possible injustice.
