Chrystian Gabriel Colombo (born 1952) is an

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

businessman and politician who served as Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers during the presidency of

Fernando de la Rúa Fernando de la Rúa (15 September 19379 July 2019) was an Argentine politician and a member of the Radical Civic Union (UCR) political party who served as President of Argentina from 10 December 1999 to 21 December 2001. De la Rúa was born in ...

, from 2000 to 2001. He served as cabinet chief during the December 2001 riots, and resigned alongside De la Rúa in their aftermath.

Early life

Colombo was born in 1952 in

Zapala Zapala is a city and touristic destination in the Patagonian province of Neuquén, Argentina with about 32,000 inhabitants according to the . The city is located at the geographic center of the province at the confluence of national and provincia ...

, Neuquén Province. He graduated with a

licenciatura A licentiate (abbreviated Lic.) is an academic degree present in many countries, representing different educational levels. It may be similar to a master's degree when issued by pontifical universities and other universities in Europe, Latin Ame ...

degree on economics from the

Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy ...

(UCA).

Political career

During the presidency of

Raúl Alfonsín Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (12 March 1927 – 31 March 2009) was an Argentine lawyer and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 10 December 1983 to 8 July 1989. He was the first democratically elected president after more than ...

, in June 1985, Colombo was appointed as president of the Banco Nacional de Desarrollo (BANADE), in replacement of Mario Brodersohn. Later, Colombo worked in the private sector as part of Gupo Pérez Companc, as a

stockbroker A stockbroker is a regulated broker, broker-dealer, or registered investment adviser (in the United States) who may provide financial advisory and investment management services and execute transactions such as the purchase or sale of stocks an ...

in the

Buenos Aires Stock Exchange The Buenos Aires Stock Exchange (BCBA; es, Bolsa de Comercio de Buenos Aires) is the organization responsible for the operation of Argentina's primary stock exchange located at Buenos Aires CBD. Founded in 1854, it is the successor to the ''Banco ...

, as vice president of the Sociedad de la Bolsa Macro, and as manager of the Banco Río de la Plata (later Banco Santander Río) stock market. In 1999, upon the election of

as president of Argentina, Colombo was appointed as president of the Banco de la Nación Argentina, the country's

national bank In banking, the term national bank carries several meanings: * a bank owned by the state * an ordinary private bank which operates nationally (as opposed to regionally or locally or even internationally) * in the United States, an ordinary p ...

. Just a year later, on 6 October 2000, De la Rúa appointed Colombo as Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers, in replacement of

Rodolfo Terragno Rodolfo Terragno (born 16 November 1943) is an Argentine politician and lawyer, former Senator and journalist. From 2016 to 2019, he was Argentina's ambassador to UNESCO. Life and times Terragno was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1943 and ob ...

. Under Colombo's leadership,

Ricardo López Murphy Ricardo Hipólito López Murphy (born 10 August 1951) is an Argentine economist, academic and politician. He served as Minister of Defense and Minister of Economy during the presidency of Fernando de la Rúa. His time at the helm of the econom ...

was designated at the helm of the Ministry of Economy following the resignation of

José Luis Machinea José Luis Machinea (born October 5, 1946) is an Argentine economist and United Nations official. He was Minister of Economy and President of the Central Bank. Career Machinea was born in Buenos Aires, and earned a degree in Economics from th ...

. Colombo was also investigated for

embezzlement Embezzlement is a crime that consists of withholding assets for the purpose of conversion of such assets, by one or more persons to whom the assets were entrusted, either to be held or to be used for specific purposes. Embezzlement is a type ...

of public funds diverted from the Banco Nación and to the private-owned Banco Macro. In 2001, he was denounced by the Anti-Corruption Bureau for mishandling of public funds during his time as president of the Banco Nación; further charges were presented before the

National Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the eld ...

in 2002. Colombo remained in the position until De la Rúa's abrupt resignation on 20 December 2001, and was the last public official to leave the

Casa Rosada The ''Casa Rosada'' (, eng, Pink House) is the office of the president of Argentina. The palatial mansion is known officially as ''Casa de Gobierno'' ("House of Government" or "Government House"). Normally, the president lives at the Quinta de ...

in the aftermath of the December 2001 riots. Due to Senate provisional president (and acting president)

Ramón Puerta Federico Ramón Puerta (born 9 September 1951) is an Argentine Peronist politician who has served as a governor, national senator and deputy and briefly as President of Argentina in 2001. Biography Puerta was born in Apóstoles, Misiones Provi ...

being in San Luis at the time, Colombo managed "security and minimal administrative affairs of the State until the situation was resolved" in the early hours of 21 December.

Personal life

Colombo is married to visual artist Silvia Rivas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colombo, Chrystian 1952 births Living people Argentine bankers Radical Civic Union politicians Chiefs of Cabinet of Ministers of Argentina People from Neuquén Province Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina alumni