The deputies heard today the arguments of the environmental lawyers Llankiray Díaz, Ezio Costa and Dominique Hervé and the former president of the Council for Transparency, Marcelo Drago. The Review Commission It is made up of Maya Fernández, a socialist, who presides over it; Florcita Alarcón, humanist, both opponents, Pepe Auth, independent, and the ruling party Paulina Núñez and Virginia Troncoso. This Commission must issue a report with a non-binding conclusion that will then be reviewed in the room with all the deputies.
The speakers addressed the definition of a maritime protected area, Chile’s relationship with the Escazú treaty, the chronology of the Dominga mining case and the principle of probity and its eventual transgression, among other topics. The accusation was presented on October 13 in the Chamber of Deputies and is promoted by opposition parliamentarians who denounce a conflict of interest of the president and the sale of Dominga by the Piñera Morel family, on the one hand, and the businessman Carlos Délano , a close friend of the president, on the other.
The 99-page document was released after the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) revealed a millionaire sale of the Dominga mining company completed in the British Virgin Islands. According to the report, the third installment to be paid was conditional on the sector where it is located not declaring itself an exclusion and reserve zone, which would be endorsed by the actions of Piñera from the Chilean presidency.
After knowing these antecedents, the opposition presented the constitutional accusation and the Chilean Public Ministry opened an investigation ex officio.
The National Prosecutor, Jorge Abbott, who ordered the opening, He excused himself in writing today from not attending the first session of the Commission. He had been summoned to explain why there are missing pieces of evidence from the 2017 investigative folder, and how that could then determine the dismissal of Piñera.
Abbott pointed out that “given that the aforementioned investigation is in charge of a Regional Prosecutor who acts autonomously in use of her powers, it is not appropriate that this National Prosecutor could refer to such antecedents, also taking into consideration that he is prevented from doing so. National Prosecutor to give particular instructions in a specific case. “
Abbot did send the Commission the information to initiate the investigation, including a copy of the report of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Unit.
In the absence of the National Prosecutor, Deputy Auth proposed to send him a written questionnaire.
The members of the Commission have already summoned the former ministers of the Environment and the current head of that position, Carolina Schmidt. Also to officials of the Internal Revenue Service and former officials of the entity that collects taxes in Chile.
Deputy Fernández anticipated that the Undersecretary of Economy, Julio Pertuzé, will be invited to the Commission to explain what are the criteria with which mining projects are prioritized. “We need to know how it works, how it is prioritized and how these large projects are decided, because what we have so far is that there is a prioritization of projects, but we do not know what the criteria are and we have not been able to have that background”, expressed the parliamentarian.
Representatives from environmental organizations such as GreenPeace and Nat Geo will later be invited, he added.
The minister of the presidency, Juan José Ossa, described the accusation as an action “for purposes that are completely undemocratic” and that is why the opposition wants to define it before the presidential election of November 21. “We have also said that what is sought is not only to accuse President Piñera, but to avoid a democratic transfer of the presidential command (in March 2022) like those that have always characterized us,” said Ossa.
After receiving the answer with the arguments of Piñera’s defense, the Commission will vote whether or not to approve the libel. Whatever that result, it must be voted in the Chamber of Deputies.
If approved, it will go to the Senate, which acts as the defining entity and, by two thirds, can approve the removal of the president, who would be forced to leave office and would be disqualified for five years from holding public office.
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