Colombia first lady denies quake aid mismanagement

Colombia's first lady Ana Lucia Pineda has denied allegations of irregularities in handling donations for areas devastated by the August 10 earthquake, after her foundation reported receiving more than $17 million.

Pineda, wife of President Abelardo de la Espriella, oversees much of the private donations intended to help hundreds of thousands of victims and repair damage caused by the 7.4-magnitude quake.

The earthquake killed more than 330 people and destroyed more than 30,000 homes. Losses in western Colombia are estimated at about $9.5 billion.

The opposition and some survivors say aid is not reaching the hardest-hit areas more than two months after the disaster. Pineda rejected the allegations in an interview with Telecaribe, saying: “There is nothing to hide. I don't need to keep even a grain of anyone's rice.”

Her Luz y Sonrisas foundation said more than 48,000 people had received humanitarian aid, but did not specify what kind. It also did not detail how much money had been spent in areas where thousands of homes, schools and hospitals were left in ruins.

Pineda said the foundation had not used the funds because there was enough humanitarian aid and that the money would be used in a second reconstruction phase. The foundation said it had delivered 5,600 tonnes of aid, including water and food, across eight departments.

Senate Vice President Alejandro Ocampo, an opposition politician, questioned the figures and called for an accounting of how much money was received, who provided it, where it was deposited and how much had been spent. The funds raised by Pineda's foundation do not include public money.