A judge has given Colombia’s first lady 48 hours to publish a detailed, itemized accounting of all private donations received by her foundation to assist victims of the devastating Aug. 10 earthquake.

Ana Lucia Pineda, the wife of President Abelardo de la Espriella, oversees a major share of the private contributions earmarked for relief and reconstruction following the magnitude 7.4 quake, which killed over 330 people, destroyed more than 30,000 homes, and left hundreds of thousands affected.

Under the ruling issued Thursday, the court ordered her foundation, Colombia Luz y Sonrisas, to submit a comprehensive management report detailing "in a clear, precise, and consistent manner" the allocation of all funds it has "received, administered, channeled, or distributed."

The court order follows a legal action filed by opposition Senator Alejandro Ocampo, who challenged the foundation's accounting after it failed to fully respond to 20 detailed questions concerning donor identities, administrative costs, and control mechanisms.

"When the government asks citizens to donate to a private foundation, those funds become subject to public scrutiny," Ocampo said after the ruling. "Now we are going to find out where the money is."

Quake recovery slow, says opposition

Opposition figures have sharply criticized the slow pace of recovery, saying that nearly three months after the disaster, critical aid has yet to reach hard-hit communities in western Colombia, where the damage is estimated at $9.5 billion. Critics also allege a discrepancy between President De la Espriella’s public announcements of over $200 million in combined relief pledges and the actual delivery of aid on the ground.

In an interim report covering operations through mid-October, the foundation disclosed managing over $17 million in private contributions, claiming 48,000 individuals had received emergency aid. However, the filing drew heavy criticism for omitting itemized expenditure logs for ruined housing, schools, and hospitals.

Addressing the delays in a recent interview, Pineda said the donated cash reserves were intentionally held back from immediate distribution. She said the raised capital would be reserved for a second phase of structural reconstruction, asserting that initial "humanitarian aid was sufficient" during the immediate emergency phase.

She added that her initiative intends to focus on building long-lasting, permanent housing for families who lost everything.

Public frustration mounted on Oct, 31 after the first lady traveled to a municipality in the western department of Caldas to inaugurate public works signs but failed to deliver housing units or emergency supplies. With the judge's 48-hour ultimatum now active, the administration faces mounting political pressure to account for all emergency resources. (AA)