The whistleblower shared thousands of documents pointing to evidence that Ecopetrol, Colombia’s biggest and majority state-owned company, engaged in:
- Severe environmental pollution, including contamination of water and wetlands with toxic substances and illegal flaring of methane gas;
- Concealment of incidents and deliberate failure to report violations;
- Targeted surveillance and retaliation against socio-environmental leaders;
- Collaboration with national security forces and convergence of interests with paramilitary armed groups.
Andrés Olarte worked at Ecopetrol from January 2017 to January 2019, first as an analyst and later as an environmental adviser to the Vice President of Sustainability. After blowing the whistle internally and exhausting all possible avenues, with no results, he contacted the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). In March 2025 the EIA published the report Crude Lies along with a database, the Iguana Papers, and the BBC released the documentary Colombia: Petroleum, Pollution and Paramilitaries.
The investigations provide a chilling insight into the practices of a resource company in one of the world’s most dangerous countries for environmental activists.
My motivation is change. I hope for structural reforms at Ecopetrol and in Colombia. Whistleblowing and transparency should not be a burden but a positive contribution.
Andrés Olarte Peña
In choosing the winner from numerous whistleblower cases that all deserve recognition, the jury – representatives from journalism and whistleblower organizations worldwide – emphasized: The case of Andrés Olarte exemplifies the extraordinary courage of a whistleblower taking immense personal risks to expose wrongdoing of vast scale and impact. For his integrity, Olarte faced severe consequences: intimidation, anonymous death threats, and ultimately exile in Europe. These sacrifices underscore his exceptional commitment to the public interest.
The 2026 award will be presented at a public evening event on 12 March in Berlin at the taz Kantine.
Jury members of the 2026 award:
- Ricardo Balderas, PODER
- Annegret Falter, Whistleblower-Netzwerk e.V. (WBN)
- Gemma-Maé Hartley, Plateforme de Protection des Lanceurs d’Alerte en Afrique (PPLAAF)
- Richard Logan, Reva and David Logan Foundation
- Chido Onumah, African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL)
- Enrique Patriau, OjoPúblico
- Ben Reiff, +972 Magazine
- Klaus Schleisiek, Wau Holland Foundation
- Sam Sole, amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism
- Michael Sontheimer, taz Panter Foundation
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