A Tunja judge ordered the reinstatement of John Jairo Martínez Álvarez as executive president of the Tunja Chamber of Commerce following a tutela action. The ruling creates the possibility of two presidents at the entity, which covers 71 municipalities and manages a budget over $15 billion pesos.
The Board of Directors of the Tunja Chamber of Commerce removed John Jairo Martínez Álvarez from the executive presidency, a position he had held since October 2024 for a year and a half. Two and a half months later, they appointed Sergio Armando Tolosa Acevedo to the role.
Martínez Álvarez filed a tutela action claiming his dismissal was arbitrary, violating his rights to minimum vital and social security, particularly as he nears pension age.
The Juzgado Cuarto Civil del Circuito de Oralidad de Tunja, in second instance, protected those rights and ordered: “Tutelar los derechos fundamentales al mínimo vital y a la seguridad social del accionante, vulnerados por la decisión de la Junta Directiva de removerlo del cargo de Presidente Ejecutivo sin realizar la ponderación constitucional exigida y ordenar a la Cámara de Comercio de Tunja que, dentro de las 48 horas siguientes a la notificación de esta providencia, reintegre al señor John Jairo Martínez Álvarez al cargo de Presidente Ejecutivo o a uno de igual o superior jerarquía”.
This ruling could lead to two executive presidents simultaneously at the entity, which spans 71 of the department's 123 municipalities.
