Colombia's President‑Elect De la Espriella and Inter‑American Development Bank Funding Clarified

President‑elect Abelardo De la Espriella announced that the Inter‑American Development Bank (BID) had allocated US$60 million in non‑reimbursable resources to support the government transition. The claim sparked controversy and accusations of hidden debt.

The BID responded that it has not approved a new US$60 million grant for the transition. Instead, it maintains an active portfolio of approximately US$63 million in technical cooperation projects that were already approved and are being disbursed gradually. These funds are earmarked for pre‑investment studies, capacity‑building and the design of the National Development Plan, and do not create new debt for Colombia.

Vice‑president‑elect José Manuel Restrepo reiterated that the resources are technical assistance, not a budgetary transfer, and emphasized their role in accelerating reforms and investments. The bank’s official statements to Caracol Radio and its public communique clarified that the existing operations are part of ongoing programmes and are not new financing for the empalme process.