Former Minister Alejandro Gaviria recounted that on Sunday, February 26, the day when the leak of documents expressing objections to health reforms from the Ministry of Education, Finance and Agriculture became known, there was silence in the WhatsApp group. presidency which he thinks is not normal.

The following day, Monday the 27th, presidential address day, Gaviria was meeting with the Secretary General of the Presidency, Mauricio Lizcano, around noon, when he received a call from the Chief of Staff, Laura Sarabia.

“While I was in the meeting Laura Sarabia called me and told me ‘lost trust’ speaking yes, through the president, or from the core of the Presidency, I think the president spoke there as well. I asked him a few questions, he was very nice, I was calm, I wasn’t upset, I was surprised, I was suspicious,” Gaviria said on Caracol Radio.

Gaviria stated that she asked Sarabia what her departure was like and they spoke more, but briefly. The former minister also revealed that hours later he learned that the current minister Aurora Vergara was summoned from Casa de Nariño at the last minute, an indication that would confirm her then departure.

“There was a council of ministers called at 17:00, I remember I came early, they don’t always start on time, but I arrived on time, I arrived at 17:00 and everyone was sitting at the table. Council of Ministers, I sat in my seat and no one came, I think I was the only one who knew that there would be no Council of Ministers,” Gaviria said on Caracol Radio.

The former minister stated that before the presidential speech, he spoke with the interior minister, Alfonso Prada; from the Ministry of Finance, José Antonio Ocampo; and Agriculture, Cecilia López, with whom she eventually learned that her departure from the Government would be announced in a joint presidential address with former Minister of Sport, María Isabel Urrutia, and Minister of Culture, Patricia Ariza.

Gaviria also stated that he tried to talk to the president to tell him that he was not the one who leaked the documents, but he gave up when he began to see that ministers had arrived to prepare to leave at the address, for this reason he decided to go and see the announcement. on the way home.

“Ministers started coming to addresses and they would stand behind and I said I will not bow to that, I will not stop there, imagine I will become a meme,” said the former minister. .

The former minister stated that he wanted his departure from the Government to be different, but he stated that he would not sacrifice himself with the situation. Gaviria also revealed that on Wednesday, March 1, he had lunch with President Petro.

“It went well for me, I was able to vent a little bit, I was firm on the issue of leaks which wasn’t me, I asked questions which he didn’t fully answer because they were difficult and that’s why they prioritized the most complex health reforms In the package of reforms, I reflected on the political moment of the country ,” said Gaviria.

The former minister also announced that the president had made an offer for him to become ambassador to Britain, an offer he decided to decline.

“He told me at some point what he was going to do, I told him I didn’t know, like I said at the beginning, sometimes I like this uncertainty, it looks like freedom, and he suggested if I want to be a ambassador and I told him no. I told him I would think about it and the next day I said no,” Gaviria told the station.

Finally, the former minister expressed his concern regarding health reform and stated that the country is currently undergoing a very relevant transition.