The Presidency of the Republic of Colombia filed an appeal on August 31, 2026, against a labor court ruling that ordered President Abelardo De La Espriella to offer public apologies for a religious act performed during his inauguration on August 7, 2026. ^[1] The Colombian Attorney General's Office (Fiscalía General de la Nación) formally filed a request for a hearing to impute charges against Laura Sarabia, former chief of staff and former ambassador, for the alleged crimes of abuse of public function and aggravated illegal constraint. ^[2] Judge of the Fifth Labor Court of the Bogotá Circuit ruled that the religious act during the inauguration violated the principle of state secularism and neutrality, citing Constitutional Court Ruling C-088/22 regarding the mutual independence between churches and the State. ^[3] President Abelardo De La Espriella complied with the court order and offered public apologies in his address on August 30, 2026, before filing the appeal. ^[4] Senate President Honorio Henríquez also filed an appeal against the ruling, arguing that the religious act was a collective decision approved by the majority of the Congress plenary, not a personal determination. ^[5] According to the Prosecutor's Office's hypothesis, Laura Sarabia allegedly irregularly used the state security apparatus and her position of power to subject Marelbys Meza to a polygraph test in the basement of a building attached to the Presidency of the Republic. ^[6] The charges against Laura Sarabia stem from the investigation into the case of her former nanny Marelbys Meza, arising from alleged irregularities after a sum of money was lost at Sarabia's residence. ^[7] The court hearing to formalize the charges against Laura Sarabia is scheduled for Thursday, 2023-09-14, when the prosecutor will present material evidence and Sarabia must decide whether to accept responsibility. ^[8] According to figures from the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management and the Presidency of the Republic, the earthquake left more than 300 dead and more than 31,000 homes destroyed. ^[9] According to the Ipsos study, 70% of citizens spontaneously associated the current situation of the country with fear, sadness, or uncertainty. ^[10] Ipsos Colombia conducted a survey between August 14 and 18, 2026, involving 177 participants with national coverage including affected zones. ^[11]