Colombia to audit multimillion‑peso diplomatic allowances during presidential transition

The incoming administration of President‑elect Abelardo de la Espriella has launched a comprehensive review of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ recent actions. The audit will examine roughly 141 resolutions and 43 decrees issued in the final months of the outgoing government, focusing on changes to diplomatic benefits, appointments and the career‑service framework.

A key controversy centers on a July 2025 decree signed by caretaker foreign minister Rosa Villavicencio that altered the calculation of cost‑of‑living premiums for diplomats abroad. By allowing the capital‑city multiplier to be used in cities lacking United Nations multipliers, the rule could raise individual payments to as much as 200,000 USD (about 670 million Colombian pesos). Critics say the large allowances may create fiscal losses and administrative rig‑marriage if officials are reassigned shortly after receiving the funds.

The review will also assess recent diplomatic appointments, modifications to service‑entry requirements, and contracts such as passport‑production agreements. Depending on findings, the new government may amend or repeal the decrees, initiate disciplinary or fiscal investigations, and propose structural changes to the foreign ministry.