Colombia’s Housing Minister Logged One Hour of Work in Three Days at the Beach
COLOMBIA · POLITICS
Key Facts
—What happened: Colombia’s housing minister spent three days in Santa Marta during the earthquake emergency, with one documented hour of work.
—How we know: News outlet CAMBIO reviewed the ministry’s own records and found only a one-hour video call on the holiday Monday.
—The catch: Santa Marta was untouched by the 10 August earthquake, which destroyed 26,392 homes hundreds of kilometres west.
—His defence: Jaime Andrés Beltrán says he visited his family briefly and that President De la Espriella was informed.
—Why it matters: His ministry leads the rebuilding effort for more than 185,000 people affected by the disaster.
—What comes next: Congress is preparing a censure motion, and even government allies are demanding his resignation.
Colombia’s housing minister spent three days in the Caribbean city of Santa Marta in the middle of the earthquake emergency, and his own ministry can document only one hour of work, the news outlet CAMBIO revealed on Friday.
What CAMBIO found in the ministry’s own papers
CAMBIO published its investigation on Friday 28 August, after reviewing the minister’s agenda and travel records. The documents cover Jaime Andrés Beltrán’s stay in Santa Marta over the holiday weekend of 15 to 17 August.
The finding is stark. Across three full days, the only administrative act the housing ministry could demonstrate was a single virtual meeting lasting one hour.
That meeting happened on Monday 17 August, a public holiday in Colombia. Beltrán joined it by video together with his vice ministers.
Colombia moves many holidays to Mondays, creating long weekends known locally as puentes, or bridges. This puente fell exactly one week after the earthquake.
A beach city far from the disaster zone
Santa Marta sits on the Caribbean coast and was not damaged by the quake. The 7.4-magnitude earthquake of 10 August struck western Colombia, hundreds of kilometres away.
The tremor was the strongest in Colombia in nearly half a century. It killed close to 300 people, according to figures cited by AFP.
Official counts cited by the EFE news agency list 26,392 homes destroyed and more than 127,000 damaged. More than 185,000 people were left in need of assistance.
The worst-hit areas include Pereira, Cali, Manizales and Quibdó. Many survivors there are still sleeping in the open, on mattresses or in makeshift shelters.
That contrast is the heart of the scandal. The housing minister in charge of rebuilding those homes was photographed at a beach hotel the quake never touched.
The minister’s defence: family first, president informed
Beltrán acknowledged the trip but rejected the word holiday. He said he shared a few hours with his wife and daughters, whom he had not seen for days.
His family lives in Bucaramanga while he works in Bogotá. He described himself as a present father and said public servants are also parents and spouses.
In a later interview with El País of Cali, Beltrán confirmed that the trip lasted three days. He said President Abelardo de la Espriella was informed about it.
The minister also apologised to families who felt let down by his absence. He insisted he will stay in the job, repeating that he is a minister but also a father and a husband.
He has also stressed that he visited quake-hit departments in the first days of the emergency. His ministry, he said, had a rent-subsidy methodology ready within hours of the disaster.
Why this minister, at this moment
The timing could hardly be worse for a housing minister. De la Espriella took office on 7 August, only three days before the earthquake struck.
Beltrán’s ministry is the lead agency for rebuilding homes. It runs the reconstruction programme the government calls Plan Milagro, the Miracle Plan.
That plan has three phases, starting with immediate aid and a technical diagnosis of every damaged house. Rebuilding follows, with banks expected to offer cheaper credit to affected families.
Beltrán is a newcomer on the national stage. The former mayor of Bucaramanga was removed from that office in 2025 over dual party membership, known in Colombia as doble militancia.
He is a social communicator and the son of an evangelical pastor. He ran De la Espriella’s campaign organisation in the regions before joining the cabinet.
His appointment was a loyalty pick, not a technocratic one. That makes the scandal a test of how much political capital the new president will spend on him.
Allies and opponents both want answers
The first calls for resignation came within hours of the beach photographs emerging on 16 August. Opposition representative Alejandro Toro announced a censure motion against the housing minister.
A moción de censura is the mechanism Colombia’s Congress uses to remove a minister. It needs the backing of at least one-tenth of the chamber to proceed to a vote.
More striking is the criticism from the government’s own side. Senator Andrés Forero of the Centro Democrático party said Beltrán drags the president into a problem not of his making.
Senator Jota Pe Hernández, another ally, called the minister indolent. Green Alliance representative Cathy Juvinao said the beach gesture alone should cost him his job.
What comes next
El País published the new details ahead of a political control debate in Congress. Beltrán will have to explain where he was and what decisions he took in the emergency’s first hours.
Congress can also demand agendas, meeting minutes and travel records from the ministry. CAMBIO’s documents will likely be the first exhibit on the table.
De la Espriella has so far stood by his housing minister. How long that support holds may depend on how loud his own coalition gets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did CAMBIO reveal about Colombia’s housing minister?
CAMBIO reported on 28 August that minister Jaime Andrés Beltrán spent three days in Santa Marta during the earthquake emergency. His ministry’s own records show only one hour of work, a video call on the holiday Monday.
Was Santa Marta hit by the earthquake?
No. The 7.4-magnitude earthquake of 10 August struck western Colombia, hundreds of kilometres from Santa Marta. The Caribbean city was untouched, which is the core of the scandal.
How does the minister explain the trip?
Beltrán says he was not on holiday and spent a few hours with his wife and daughters. He told El País the trip lasted three days and that President De la Espriella was informed.
What is a censure motion in Colombia?
A moción de censura is a congressional vote to remove a minister from office. It requires the backing of at least one-tenth of the chamber to proceed.
How bad was the August 2026 earthquake in Colombia?
The quake killed close to 300 people and destroyed 26,392 homes. More than 185,000 people were affected, and many survivors are still sleeping in the open.
Sources
CAMBIO (Colombia), exclusive of 28 August 2026 on the minister’s three days in Santa Marta; El País (Cali), 28 August 2026; El Colombiano, 28 August 2026; AFP via France 24, 18 August 2026; EFE, 17 August 2026; Vanguardia, 17 August 2026; La Silla Vacía, 18 August 2026. Exchange rate used where applicable: 1 US dollar = 3,114.72 Colombian pesos.
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