Colombia earthquake puts Spanish public funds back under scrutiny

The Colombia earthquake and the shadow over Spanish public funds

The magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western Colombia on Monday claimed at least twenty lives and left behind an uncomfortable paradox: the epicentre is in San José del Palmar, but the conversation about aid has ended up revolving around Spanish public money. Three Basque aid workers, who had spent the weekend in Medellín, were found alive. The news, reassuring in principle, does little to dispel the distrust.

Development aid money, in the spotlight once again

When the earth shakes, the aid machinery kicks into gear. But so does scepticism. The funds the Spanish state channels to NGOs and aid associations often arrive without particularly rigorous audits. The theory gaining most traction is that this lack of oversight turns aid into a vehicle for money laundering or for feeding patronage networks. Against that, the simple fact that the three aid workers turned up safe and sound suggests that at least part of the system works.

The 100 million nobody has seen yet

The rumour that the PSOE (Spain's Socialist Party) might announce 100 million euros for Colombia is circulating as if it were a fact. The suggestion that part of that money would end up in accounts in the Dominican Republic linked to Begoña and Zapatero is, for now, just that: an unverified insinuation. Prudence demands treating it as an assumption, not as a confirmed fact.

Among the rubble, one detail stands out: the cathedral almost untouched amid a devastated landscape, and the presence of Spanish engineers working on the ground. What the next tragedy will reveal is whether that expertise is used to rebuild the country or to perpetuate the aid business. How much of what is sent actually reaches those who need it?