Colombia’s new housing minister has come under fire after it emerged that he took his family on a Caribbean holiday while the country was reeling from a devastating earthquake that left thousands homeless.
Last week, he toured the region and announced rent subsidies for families who lost their homes. Over the weekend, photos and videos emerged of Housing Minister Jaime Andres Beltran relaxing on a beach in the Caribbean city of Santa Marta. He also called on his ally, US President Donald Trump, to suspend tariffs on Colombian goods to give the economy a boost.
The August 10 earthquake, which left nearly 300 people dead in western Colombia, struck just three days after right-wing President Abelardo de la Espriella took office.
The left-wing opposition said it would bring a motion of no-confidence in the minister for taking leave at such a critical time. The minister on Monday attempted to swat away the criticism of his trip, writing on X that he was “not on holidays” but merely “sharing a few hours with my wife and children, whom I had not seen for days” and had “immediately” afterwards resumed work on post-quake reconstruction.
