Fernando Roldán

Practice Areas

Fernando Roldán is a founding partner of Roldán Uribe & Álvarez Abogados. He has over 30 years of professional experience in resolving highly complex disputes and has acted as an attorney in numerous national and international arbitration tribunals, amicable composition proceedings, and before administrative, civil, and constitutional courts, dealing with matters related to state contracts, road, rail, and airport infrastructure, energy, gas, and private contracting.

He is a lawyer from Universidad Externado de Colombia, with specialized studies at the same university, where he also served as a professor for more than 15 years. He received an honors scholarship throughout his academic career, was exempted from preparatory exams, and his thesis was widely praised.

Additionally, he is a member of the Arbitration and Secretary Lists of the Arbitration and Conciliation Center of the Bogotá and Cartagena Chambers of Commerce.

He is a full member of the Colombian Institute of Procedural Law, as well as an active speaker on various topics related to arbitration, dispute resolution, and public and private contracting.

Before founding Roldán Uribe & Álvarez Abogados, he was a partner at Chemás Roldán & Asociados for more than 25 years.

Professional Memberships

Member of Comité Colombiano de Arbitraje

Member of Instituto Colombiano de Derecho Procesal

Languages Spoken

Spanish and French

Work Highlights

Successful enforcement of the largest arbitration award against a public entity in Colombia: In 2020, following proceedings in which the firm’s current partners played a key role, an arbitral tribunal ordered the Agencia Nacional de Infraestructura (ANI) to pay COP 806 billion (approximately USD 200 million) to a road-infrastructure consortium. This represented the largest sum ever imposed on a public entity in a Colombian arbitration award. When, two years later, ANI failed to comply with the decision, the firm initiated enforcement proceedings before a local court to recover the award plus accrued interest. Despite the typically protracted nature of such proceedings, the firm swiftly secured a writ of payment for the principal and interest, bringing the total sum to more than COP 1 trillion. The case is now concluded, with the firm successfully obtaining full payment.

Arbitration concerning the termination date of a concession contract: The firm is representing the shareholders of a major road-infrastructure concession in arbitration against ANI. The dispute centres on the calculation of the project’s Internal Rate of Return (IRR), which directly determines the contract’s termination date. Owing to divergent calculation methodologies, ANI asserts that the concession should end in October 2026, while the concessionaire maintains that it should continue until 2034. With a disputed value exceeding COP 300 billion (around USD 50 million), the matter highlights the firm’s capability to manage intricate financial controversies in infrastructure projects, requiring advanced expertise in financial modelling, project finance and funding structures.

Arbitration relating to multiple controversies under a concession contract: The firm acted for an international investment fund that holds a Colombian road-infrastructure concession in arbitration against ANI. The disputes arose from a 1994 concession agreement and encompassed issues such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on toll revenues, the consequences of state measures that closed the Venezuelan border from 2015, widespread toll evasion by road users, and other breaches attributed to ANI. With claims exceeding COP 250 billion, the firm successfully prevailed in this arbitration, securing a favourable award that confirmed its expertise in resolving infrastructure disputes involving complex technical and financial considerations.