Colombia’s finance minister filed a bill before Congress which seeks to authorize the government to sell 10% of its shares in energy company Ecopetrol, financial publication Portafolio reported Wednesday.
Finance Minister Juan Carlos Echeverry said that once approved, the first transfer can take place at the beginning of 2012 with the resources destined for the reconstruction of infrastructure damaged by the La Niña phenomenon. The sale of shares is expected to generate $9.02 billion.
The sale will mean that the percentage of the company owned by the state will drop to 70%. The sale will be led by Ecopetrol with the aim of receiving the highest price for the shares sold, and consequently maximizing the returns to the government.
The finance minister said “this will be coordinated by Ecopetrol. In fact, the government probably would delegate to Ecopetrol control of the entire process so that capitalization of the company, through the sale of government shares takes place in an coordinated, gradual, and unhurried manner.”