Under Scrutiny: Senator Martha Peralta Epieyú Faces Mounting Pressure Over Visa Revocation, Asset Growth, and State Contracts

By Investigative Desk

Main Facts

The political and professional future of Colombian Senator Martha Peralta Epieyú, representing the Indigenous Alternative Social and Independent Movement (MAIS), is facing its most critical juncture. Plagued by escalating controversies surrounding her personal wealth, lucrative state contracts tied to her relatives, and an active investigation by the Supreme Court linked to the National Disaster Risk Management Unit (UNGRD) scandal, the senator is now navigating an international crisis: the revocation of her United States visa and potential inclusion on the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions list.

The crisis intensified when reports surfaced that the U.S. State Department had canceled Peralta’s travel privileges. Although a subsequent check of U.S. migration databases by the senator showed the document temporarily registered as active, political insiders and analysts harbor little doubt about the U.S. government’s intent. Her name has reportedly been on a watchlist compiled during the recent electoral campaign—a roster of individuals flagged as potential threats to democracy, originally handed over to U.S. authorities by figures including Abelardo De la Espriella.

While Peralta has dismissed the developments as a "political persecution," legal experts point out that the cancellation of a U.S. visa in high-profile political investigations often serves as the precursor to OFAC designation. Such a listing would effectively sever her commercial and financial ties with entities globally. Compounding these international pressures, her ongoing legal exposure in Colombia—specifically before the Supreme Court of Justice—creates a pincer movement that threatens to dismantle her political career.

Chronology

To understand the current multi-layered scrutiny surrounding Senator Martha Peralta, it is essential to trace the timeline of key corporate, political, and legal milestones:

• January 9, 2020: MC&I Américas SAS is founded in Barranquilla, later appointing Carlos Enrique Herazo de la Barrera—Peralta’s brother-in-law (concuñado)—as its legal representative. The firm focuses on rural solar energy projects.
• December 16, 2019: Martha Peralta registers as a natural person with the Chamber of Commerce of La Guajira (Mercantile Registration No. 155264), alongside a beauty and pharmaceutical establishment named Beauty Mall. Both registrations are eventually canceled in May 2024 due to lack of renewal since inception.
• October 2023: Public outcry erupts following the adjudication of 16 state contracts totaling COP $75,000,000,000 for the construction of traditional water reservoirs (jagüeyes) in La Guajira. More than 80% of these funds were funneled into a single municipality, Albania, allegedly for electoral maneuvering.
• August 2022: Senator Peralta and her husband, physician Manuel Julián Molina Pérez, acquire a 160-square-meter residential property valued at approximately COP $1,000,000,000 in the El Quirinal neighborhood of Bogotá.
• December 17, 2023: Manuel Julián Molina registers the purchase of a Toyota Hilux personal family vehicle, amid rising questions regarding the couple’s sudden asset accumulation.
• Throughout 2023–2024: MC&I Américas SAS secures major government contracts, including an 800-million-peso solar panel project with AlDesarrollo, a COP $9,000,000,000 consortium agreement with the Inspector General’s Office (Procuraduría), and a COP $10,000,000,000 alliance with the Ministry of Foreign Relations (Cancillería).
• May 7, 2024: The La Guajira Chamber of Commerce officially purges and cancels Peralta’s personal commercial and business registrations.
• March 20, 2025: A tutela (fundamental rights protection) action is filed before the Council of State against the Presidency of the Republic (Radicated under No. 11001031500020250164900), handled by Magistrate Pedro Pablo Vanegas Gil.
• May 2025: A legal battle unfolds between the senator and political commentator María Andrea Nieto via a tutela action (Radicated under No. 11001418905220250043800), culminating in appellate rulings through June 2025.
• May 8, 2025: The Council of State issues a ruling confirming a lower court decision denying the electoral nullification of a local councilor in Tierralta, Córdoba, a case in which Peralta had actively intervened.
• Mid-2026: Media reports break regarding the cancellation of Peralta’s U.S. visa and her potential path toward OFAC listing, triggering a fresh wave of investigations into her patrimony and family business ties.

Supporting Data

The scrutiny facing Senator Peralta is backed by concrete financial indicators, real estate registries, and corporate data compiled from public records and investigative journalism:

1. Real Estate Portfolio

Martha Isabel Peralta Epieyú is listed as the primary titleholder of seven real estate properties distributed across three major Colombian cities:

• Bogotá: Three properties located in the central and southern sectors of the capital, including the El Quirinal residence acquired in August 2022 for roughly COP $1,000,000,000, purchased jointly with her husband.
• Riohacha: Two properties, notably including a rural holding located in the township of Monguí.
• Barranquilla: Two residential units situated within the Puerto Colombia Altamar Caribe housing complex.

2. Corporate Connections and Family Contracts

• MC&I Américas SAS: Founded in January 2020 and managed by Carlos Enrique Herazo de la Barrera (Peralta’s brother-in-law). The company specializes in solar energy for non-interconnected rural zones. In 2023, the firm reported gross billings between COP $5,000,000,000 and $10,000,000,000, a net patrimony of approximately COP $1,800,000,000, and a workforce of around 45 employees. Major contracts include:
  • Alianza Pública para el Desarrollo Integral (AlDesarrollo): Over COP $800,000,000 for solar panel construction (2024).
  • Procuraduría General de la Nación: Part of a consortium securing a COP $9,000,000,000 contract.
  • Cancillería (Ministry of Foreign Relations): An alliance valued at COP $10,000,000,000.
• Farmacia 13 de Mayo SAS: Established by her husband, Dr. Manuel Julián Molina Pérez, focusing on pharmaceutical distribution. This enterprise previously triggered conflict-of-interest accusations and a loss-of-investiture (pérdida de investidura) lawsuit against Peralta due to her legislative role in health commissions and her active participation as a ponente (bill presenter) during healthcare reform debates.

3. Financial Liability Reductions and Credit Behavior

An analysis of the senator’s financial profile reveals unusual liability adjustments:

• Total Debt Obligations: Her total credit obligations experienced a downward trajectory throughout 2024 and 2025. In the first quarter of 2025, total balances plummeted from COP $602,594,000 to COP $503,996,000 (a reduction of nearly COP $100,000,000). By the second quarter of 2025, obligations dropped further to COP $330,098,000—a sharp reduction of approximately COP $174,000,000 in a matter of months.
• Arrears and Financial Stress: Despite the rapid paydown of total debt, her overdue balance (mora) increased from COP $4,514,000 in late 2024 to COP $5,783,000 in Q1 2025, hovering around COP $5,028,000 in Q2 2025. Financial analysts note that this pattern—simultaneous aggressive capital liquidation alongside persistent minor defaults—indicates underlying financial liquidity pressure and an opaque origin of funds used for extraordinary debt cancellations.

Official Responses

As the web of allegations tightens, reactions from the senator and institutional actors have defined the public narrative:

• Senator Martha Peralta Epieyú: The legislator has vehemently rejected the accusations, characterizing the revocation of her visa and the subsequent leaks regarding her patrimony as a coordinated "political persecution." While acknowledging that her name has circulated on conservative political watchlists since her campaign, she maintains that her legislative record remains untainted and that her family’s private business ventures operate entirely within the bounds of Colombian commercial law.
• Judicial and Regulatory Bodies: The Supreme Court of Justice continues to evaluate evidentiary packages forwarded by the Office of the Attorney General (Fiscalía General de la Nación) concerning the UNGRD corruption scandal. Meanwhile, administrative courts, including the Council of State, have processed numerous legal actions involving the senator, ranging from fundamental rights protections (tutelas) to electoral disputes, establishing a heavy judicial footprint for the Guajira politician.

Implications

The convergence of international sanctions, family-linked contracting controversies, and domestic judicial investigations carries profound implications for Senator Martha Peralta Epieyú and the broader political landscape:

1. International Isolation and Commercial Blacklisting: Should the U.S. State Department’s visa cancellation culminate in her formal inclusion on the OFAC list (the Clinton List), Peralta would face severe global financial isolation. Such a designation would bar U.S. and multinational corporations from engaging in any financial transactions with her, effectively freezing her international economic footprint and severely damaging her political viability.
2. Legislative Vulnerability and Ethics: The entanglement of her family members—specifically her brother-in-law’s firm, MC&I Américas SAS, and her husband’s pharmaceutical company—in multi-billion-peso state contracts exposes her to continuous conflict-of-interest investigations. These cases directly challenge congressional ethics rules and threaten her continuity in office.
3. Judicial Reckoning in Domestic Courts: While Peralta has historically utilized the judicial system as a plaintiff—filing tutelas and defending party interests through MAIS—the momentum is shifting. With investigative dossiers from the Prosecutor’s Office now sitting before the Supreme Court regarding the UNGRD scandal, the senator transitions from legal strategist to direct defendant, raising the specter of formal criminal charges, asset forfeiture, and eventual loss of her congressional seat.