Prosecution creates special unit to oversee reconstruction

On August 20, 2026, the Attorney General's Office implemented a special surveillance mechanism to monitor the authorities' actions in response to the emergency caused by the August 10 earthquake. The measure aims to oversee subsequent reconstruction tasks in the affected territories.

Creation of the special monitoring group

The newly created group is called the Group for the Monitoring and Surveillance of Emergency Response and Reconstruction of Territories Affected by the Earthquake. It is led by Prosecutor Gregorio Eljach. Its primary purpose is to verify that national, departmental, district, and municipal authorities fulfill their corresponding obligations regarding both immediate response and reconstruction stages.

Resource auditing and transparency

The new unit is responsible for conducting monitoring to ensure that resources are managed and executed in a transparent, efficient, and timely manner. Thus, the objective is to ensure that the funds effectively reach the purposes for which they were intended.

Protection of vulnerable populations

In particular, the team takes on the task of protecting populations entitled to special constitutional protection. The group must verify that the authorities promptly adopt comprehensive care measures aimed at these specific groups.

Permanent presence in the territory

The primary instruction mandates that the group's members maintain a permanent presence in the territory. The purpose of this guideline is to witness firsthand the evolution of the emergency response, as well as the needs that continue to persist in the affected communities.

Real-time reporting and institutional coordination

The information gathered must be reported in real time to Prosecutor Eljach and the Deputy Prosecutor. To achieve this, various Prosecution offices with competencies in matters related to public function surveillance, territorial management, human rights, as well as ethnic, environmental, and social issues, are coordinating their efforts.

Integration of specialized delegations

Several units make up the special group, such as the First and Third Delegated Prosecutor's Offices for the Preventive Surveillance of Public Function and the Delegated Prosecutor's Office for Territorial Management and Governance. The structure also includes the Delegated Prosecutor's Office for Ethnic Affairs and the Delegated Prosecutor's Office for the Defense of Human Rights.

The group also features the participation of the delegations for Environmental, Mining-Energy, and Agrarian Affairs; Civil, Labor, and Social Security Affairs; and the Defense of the Rights of Children, Adolescents, Family, and Women.

With information from El Colombiano.