If there's one thing that has characterized President Gustavo Petro's administration, it's that dirty laundry isn't aired in private, and high-ranking officials take to the media to air their dirty laundry. This Thursday, December 11, Angie Rodríguez, the director of the Presidential Administrative Department (DAPRE) and acting manager of the Adaptation Fund, held a press conference marked by friendly fire: explosive accusations against Carlos Carrillo, the director of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), who was the fund's manager until September 2025. Rodríguez spoke"with deep sorrow" of "chilling data," breaches of contract, delays, and certain contracting irregularities. She reported that her accusations are already in the hands of the Attorney General's Office, the Inspector General's Office, and the Comptroller General's Office.

She referred to the resources allocated to the La Niña phenomenon between 2010 and 2011, and stated that, of the total $8.3 trillion allocated since the creation of the Infrastructure Reconstruction Fund, $7.6 trillion has been paid, which is equivalent to a historic execution rate of 90%. Angie Rodríguez is a woman loyal to the cause and policies of Gustavo Petro, but the president is clear that his orders must be followed. | Photo: DAPRE

However, “the alarm lies in the recent management: in 2024 (when Carlos Carrillo was manager of the Adaptation Fund) the Ministry of Finance penalized the non-execution of the Fund by requesting the reimbursement of almost $200 billion, and for 2025 only 47% of the programmed goals have been executed, with the risk of reimbursing $378 billion to the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit due to lack of management.”

He also spoke about two specific projects that —according to Rodríguez— present serious problems, among them the Rice Route.

“Awarded during Carlos Carrillo’s administration, it has only 27% physical completion, with no supporting documentation in SECOP, and 0% financial progress, presenting a risk of breach of contract. It is at risk of financial collapse, having allocated 14% of the contract to administrative costs, a high percentage for the market,” Rodríguez denounced.

She also made remarks about the hydrodynamic research project: “Under Carlos Carrillo’s management, instead of hiring a design consultancy for the intervention, a contract was directly awarded—despite the alert issued by the Internal Control Office—for $17.5 billion for basic supplies to the firm Cuatro Conceptos, a company that had already had ties to the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management,” Rodríguez reported in a press release. Following Angie Rodríguez’s explosive accusations, Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, her main ally in Gustavo Petro’s government, shared the press conference on his social media.

“Angie Rodríguez, Secretary General of the Presidency, presents compelling evidence of mismanagement, negligence, inefficiency, showmanship, and deception at the Adaptation Fund by Carlos Carrillo. The allegations made public today must be rigorously investigated,” said the head of politics.

The fight is not insignificant and its origins can be traced back to the second half of 2025, when Interior Minister Armando Benedetti ended up managing the Adaptation Fund, according to various political sectors. The entity went from being under the control of the left (with Carlos Carrillo) to falling under political leadership.

The Adaptation Fund has a budget exceeding 600 billion pesos annually and is currently managed behind the scenes by Minister Benedetti, an ally and close confidant of Rodríguez at the Casa de Nariño (Presidential Palace). In recent months, the Adaptation Fund has been identified as a bureaucratic source of income for Senator Berenice Bedoya of the Independent Social Alliance (ASI), although she has denied this. Katherine Rojas Montenegro—close to the Torres clan, allies of Benedetti—arrived in September 2025 as manager of the Adaptation Fund, replacing the current director of the UNGRD (National Unit for Disaster Risk Management), Carlos Carrillo, who had been in charge of the entity. She—whose husband is Tito Lorenzo Lovo Carretero, technical deputy director of the Ministry of the Interior—lasted a month and a half in the position.

After Rojas Montenegro left, Angie Rodríguez was appointed, who on Thursday reviewed Carlos Carrillo's management with a rearview mirror, prepared a controversial report and made it known to the control bodies.

Did Gustavo Petro know about Angie Rodríguez's accusations? Yes, he knew, so why did he allow it? Did Carlos Carrillo know about the accusations against him? The answers are only known inside the Casa de Nariño, which is in turmoil.