Part 6/8:
The Crackdown: Government Retaliation and Theft of the Project
Soon after, the government’s hostility became evident. Jimenez recounts how the Ministry of Finance threatened him for not releasing a detailed white paper, and how, on the eve of the Petro's launch, authorities issued threats with guns to intimidate him and his team into giving up critical documentation.
In an act of apparent theft, the government seized the project, stripping Jimenez of his authorship and branding him an enemy of the state. This marked the failure of his initiative—an attempt that ended with him feeling betrayed and defeated, having lost everything including his reputation, resources, and peace of mind.