Dumar Guevara, the vice minister in charge of Diversities at the Ministry of Equality has resigned in 2025 after media published a series of insulting chat messages directed at the president’s daughter and ex-spouse, prompting a swift reaction from the government. Reports indicate that the exit of Dumar Guevara was demanded by President Gustavo Petro himself, according to W Radio. This marked a significant moment as the Colombian vice minister of Equality resigns amid controversy.
Revelations first published by a major national daily say Guevara’s messages referred to the president’s daughter, Andrea Petro, and his ex-wife, Mary Luz Herran, using derogatory language.
In one chat, the vice minister allegedly blocked an institutional meeting: “I already have [the minister] quiet so he doesn’t get burned,” he wrote, referring to efforts to prevent mother and daughter from entering the ministry’s offices.
After publication of the chats, Andrea Petro publicly responded: “No one — neither my mother nor I — deserves to be treated with insults.” She also stressed the importance of respect in public discourse, El Colombiano reports.
Colombian vice minister of Equality resigns after offensive messages about President Petro’s daughter
Within hours of the scandal, the president is reported to have contacted the minister overseeing the portfolio, demanding Guevara’s resignation.
Media outlets covering the case say the demand came the same day the offensive messages became public.
Guevara’s departure is not just about derogatory language — the case also involves questions around the integrity and transparency of ministry operations. According to investigative reporting, he was linked to the approval of a controversial 55 billion-peso contract (about US$14.3 million) awarded to a company he had previously worked for, raising alarms over potential conflicts of interest and misuse of public funds.
Sources inside the ministry describe growing discomfort over Guevara’s management style. He reportedly had considerable influence over scheduling, access to top officials, and even operational decisions — a reality that critics say undermined institutional norms and ethics.
The scandal puts the Ministry of Equality in an especially delicate spot. The controversy arises when the institution itself is under heightened scrutiny: Congress is debating the future of the Ministry, and critics have pointed to problems with low budget execution and operational inefficiencies. The revelations involving Guevara risk further eroding support for the ministry’s continuation.
For Colombian citizens, this episode underscores the tension between public morality and governance. A vice minister entrusted with protecting rights — especially of vulnerable groups — ended up using demeaning language against individuals connected to the highest office in the country. For international observers, the case highlights how fragile institutional credibility becomes when public officials’ private conduct leaks into the public sphere.
As of now, Dumar Guevara has not issued a detailed public response beyond acknowledging pressures following the leaks. The ministry has announced that authorities will review all internal contracts and operations linked to the period under scrutiny. Meanwhile, public and political expectation is for swift and thorough accountability.
What is clear in this case is that the rift goes beyond personal insult: It has revived national debate on transparency, ethics, and the standards expected of public servants in positions meant to defend equity and social justice.
More political than practical … or relevant
Critics note that from the start the Ministry of Equality appeared more a political gesture with vice president Francia Marquez than a fully operational public agency.
Although it was established in early 2023 via law, the legal foundations of the Ministry were challenged: the Constitutional Court of Colombia later declared the law establishing the Ministry “inexequible” — because of procedural and fiscal-analysis flaws, says El Colombiano.
Even though the ruling allowed it to operate until mid-2026, the decision cast a long shadow over its legitimacy, limiting political appetite to deeply invest in or reform the institution.
Moreover — and perhaps more tellingly — the Ministry has failed to deliver tangible results. As of 2024 its budget execution was extremely low: Of the roughly 1.8 trillion pesos (US$467.5 million) allocated, only a tiny fraction (about 0.14 % in early 2024, rising to 2.4 % over the year) had been spent — largely on payrolls and operational costs — with almost nothing reaching concrete social programs, according to estimates published by financial journal La Republica.
By mid-2025, additional reporting showed execution still under 2%, despite substantial funds earmarked for investment.
Because of those facts — a shaky legal basis, weak execution, and overlapping responsibilities with other ministries or agencies — many analysts argue that the Ministry has not fulfilled the transformative ambitions behind its creation. It has been described as “duplicating” functions of other entities (for example social-investment agencies or ministries already responsible for social policy), without delivering new, effective solutions.
In that context, the recent scandal involving insults and alleged misconduct by a high-ranking official only deepens doubts about the Ministry’s relevance and performance. As public trust erodes, and with legal obstacles ahead (its eventual termination is foreseen for mid-2026), many now question whether the experiment of a separate “Equality Ministry” has succeeded — or whether it will be remembered mainly as a costly, inefficient bureaucratic project.