Carlos Mario Giraldo denied the versions that an Éxito store in Cali was used as a torture center. He said he did not know who was behind the rumors and called for the country to unite in a spirit of reconciliation.
Last weekend images were made viral on social networks with which Internet users assured that the Éxito Simón Bolívar store in Cali had become a torture center within the framework of the national strike.
Grupo Éxito flatly denied these versions. In addition, the Office of the Ombudsman, human rights organizations and the Secretary of Security of the city of Cali assured that they did not find any indication that torture or human rights violations had occurred in the establishment.
Also read: They deny that El Éxito Simón Bolívar was a “torture center”
This Monday, Carlos Mario Giraldo, president of Grupo Éxito, publicly referred to the rumors and reiterated that it is false news. “Success would never lend itself to that. It has not done so in 72 years of history serving Colombia. They are false information and people must take a deep breath before believing in them ”, assured the manager.
Instead, he affirmed that the warehouse in question, located in the Calypso sector, has been in the midst of “crossfire” during the demonstrations , which has made it the object of looting and the destruction of its walls, gondolas and monitoring systems. .
“I don’t know who is behind the fake news and we shouldn’t wear ourselves out on that,” Giraldo said. “The most important thing is that we come together in a spirit of reconciliation and that we seek a joint solution to this conflict. May this example of Calypso be a solution route that teaches us how together, by uniting human rights, the Church, the authorities, the private sector and the communities, we can find a solution that seeks to build a better country for all ”.
Along these lines, the president of Grupo Éxito sent a positive message to Colombians and insisted on the need to continue the dialogues between the government and the protesters, while respecting production and work.
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He concluded by recalling that the company is one of the main employers in the country and has promoted different strategies to support workers and citizens during the pandemic. According to the manager, 95% of Éxito purchases of vegetables, fruits and meats are local . And they have more than 250 textile workshops that generate 8,000 jobs in Colombia.
Follow the news of El Espectador on Google NewsIn the health emergency they have also supported more than 1,000 small and medium providers with advance payments to guarantee their sustainability and have brought 300,000 nutritional packages to combat malnutrition in early childhood.
“We are part of the solution. We can help in many ways: supporting children, buying local, supporting with the truth of what has happened and contributing to this dialogue of building society and the country ”, said the manager.