00:00President Abelardo de la Esprella has already come out in force against the Torres family.
00:04powerful contractors of the government of former president Gustavo Petro.
00:08It all touches on an old feud between Barranquilla and Puerto Colombia
00:11through lands where substantial resources are involved.
00:14If you haven't heard, we'll tell you about it here, because this is not a minor issue.
00:19This is a dispute over 1,402 hectares of land
00:23located in one of the most exclusive areas of the North Atlantic,
00:27the University Corridor.
00:29There you will find several of the most reputable educational institutions on the entire Caribbean coast,
00:35such as the universities of the Caribbean, Atlantic, La Libre, La Norte or Sergio Arboleda.
00:41But it is also the setting for a residential project
00:45where the value per square meter can exceed 6 million pesos.
00:49It is an area with high growth potential, as congressmen who know about the subject say.
00:54Regional and public censuses estimate that there are already more than 35,000 inhabitants in Villa Campestre and Ciudad Mallorquín.
01:02That rivalry between Barranquilla and Puerto Colombia has a lot of unfolding to it.
01:07But now it gains political relevance in two surnames, the Char and the Torres.
01:12The former are the masters and lords of the Atlantic capital,
01:16while the latter are one of the few political structures in the region that stand up to them.
01:21In fact, while Barranquilla is the center of operations for the Esprilla,
01:25Puerto Colombia serves as the political center for the so-called Torres Clan,
01:30structure led by the mega state contractor Euclides Torres.
01:34In this dispute, the Agustín Codazzi Geological Institute issued an opinion that would leave Barranquilla
01:39a little over 1,036 hectares of land and with it the transfer of about 100 billion pesos
01:45that annually arrive in the coffers of Puerto Colombia.
01:48However, that concept is not binding and it would be the Congress of the Republic,
01:52With government majorities, whoever has the final say in this case.
01:56But then, what role does the president play?
02:00His statement is key in this land dispute,
02:04The head of state celebrated that this opinion had been favorable to Barranquilla,
02:08the city where he usually resides and which he seeks to turn into the alternate capital of Colombia.
02:14But this also has a political component.
02:17The Torres family was one of the political blocs closest to the government of Gustavo Petro.
02:22Moreover, Euclides Torres increased his contracts with the State in the transportation sector over the last four years,
02:28something that the star has already put under a magnifying glass.
02:31The Torres family's businesses operate within licensing processes, fines, and infractions.
02:35And precisely for that reason, the president has already ordered his Minister of Transport, Elsa Noguera,
02:40reform the Traffic and Transportation Code,
02:42something we already explained in detail in El Espectador
02:45and that could end the main business of that political structure.
02:50Another component that has been exposed in this case is the direct blow to the finances of Puerto Colombia.
02:54The budget of that municipality ranges between 170 billion pesos,
03:00of which more than 60% could be transferred to Barranquilla
03:04if Congress rules in favor of the capital of the Atlantic.
03:08Why is this?
03:09Because those resources come mainly from those sectors that are in dispute.
03:14The balance of power now rests with the legislature.
03:17all while the mayor of Barranquilla, Alejandro Char,
03:20He has already announced investment projects in those lands.
03:22But nothing is certain yet.
03:24until Congress speaks,
03:26There can be no intervention in that area.
03:28which, for the moment, remains under the control of Puerto Colombia.
03:32However, that definition must be reached within a year at the latest.
03:35If we don't, those more than a thousand hectares of land,
03:38as defined by the IGAC,
03:40They will be absorbed by the capital of the Atlantic.
03:43For more news on politics and all these power struggles,
03:47Visit our website at El Espectador.
03:52Thank you!
03:55Thank you!
03:56Thank you!
03:57Thank you!
