In another major setback for President Gustavo Petro — whose administration has seen several close allies removed by court rulings — the Council of State has annulled the appointment of Cielo Rusinque as Superintendent of Industry and Commerce.
The Fifth Section of the country’s highest administrative court convened on Thursday and decided to remove Rusinque from office. Ten magistrates concluded that she did not meet the requirement of 10 years of professional experience, including teaching, as she was only able to certify 8 years, 6 months, and 25 days in her résumé.
Cielo Rusinque did not meet academic requirements
The ruling, electronically signed by Gloria María Gómez Montoya (with a concurring opinion), Luis Alberto Álvarez Parra, Omar Joaquín Barreto Suárez, and Pedro Pablo Vanegas, also stated that Rusinque failed to meet the academic qualifications required for the position — namely, holding a postgraduate degree at the master’s or doctoral level in fields related to the duties of the Superintendent of Industry and Commerce.
What the ousted official did have was experience as a university-trained professional in Fusagasugá (Cundinamarca); as a lecturer at the University of Cundinamarca; in supporting legal document drafting at the firm Gustavo Adolfo Ricaurte; as a legal advisor at Mialots Avocats; and as a constitutional lawyer.
Perhaps the most prominent position Rusinque had previously held was as director of the Department for Social Prosperity, a role she obtained on the recommendation of President Petro — who later removed her from that post to appoint her to the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce.
Rusinque’s case reignites debate in Colombia over President Petro’s insistence on appointing individuals to key positions who lack the qualifications or requirements for the roles. To facilitate such appointments, the government has issued regulations lowering the standards — producing two main effects.
The first has been an increase in politically aligned hiring, as the public payroll has expanded at all levels not with technocrats but with individuals affiliated with the president’s political movement. The second is the risk that the administration may operate not with the aim of serving the public interest, but rather of advancing the president’s ideology.
This situation is illustrated by more than 20 appointments in the foreign service that were challenged and subsequently overturned during the early years of Petro’s administration. According to data from the Diplomatic and Consular Career Officials Union (Unidiplo), most were struck down for the same reason: career diplomats were available to fill those roles.
The most recent controversy over Petro’s attempts to appoint underqualified individuals involves Juliana Guerrero, a young appointee who was briefly designated vice minister for Youth in the Ministry of Equality despite having obtained her professional degree irregularly.