A vote in favor of the dismissal would have given way to the integration of a transitory government headed by the Minister of the Interior, Rodrigo Delgado, until the Congress elects a new president by absolute majority.
But from the previous numbers, ratified in the succession of pronouncements, the fate of the prosecution seemed cast: the opposition would not get the 29 votes it needed, since it only had 24 senators.
Piñera is accused of violating the principle of probity and the right to live in a pollution-free environment, and for having compromised the honor of the nation.
According to the investigation of the Chilean media CIPER and LaBot, included in the “Pandora’s Papers”, Piñera’s children sold the Dominga mining company to businessman Carlos Alberto Delano – a close friend of the president – for 152 million dollars.
The operation, which took place during the first Piñera government (2010-2014), was mostly carried out in the Virgin Islands.
The payment had to be made in three installments. A controversial clause made the last payment conditional on “not establishing an area of environmental protection over the area of operations of the mining company, as claimed by environmental groups.”
Once Piñera assumed power, this area, which encompasses a true natural treasure on the shores of the Pacific, was not considered as a protection zone recommended by his predecessor Michelle Bachelet (2006-2010).
“We are talking about corruption, the Piñera-Morel family intended to benefit directly from the decision of the head of government,” said the deputy of the leftist Frente Amplio Gael Yeomans in her speech.
On the defense side, the president’s lawyer, Jorge Gálvez, requested “to reject in all its parts the accusation that lacks any factual and legal basis.” “It is a lie that the Piñera Morel family made the sale of Dominga,” said Gálvez.
“A constitutional accusation is improvised with the manifest and declared spirit, made transparent in speeches and statements in the press, to place their discussion prior to the electoral campaign,” added the lawyer.
Supports
The president was supported yesterday by a dozen ministers, undersecretaries and delegates, who poured out their support on social networks with the coinciding message of “Let’s take care of democracy.”
The senators voted separately regarding the two chapters that are held in the accusation: having violated the Constitution and the laws, on the one hand, and having seriously compromised the honor of the Nation.
Until last night, almost all the ruling party members who had already spoken had voted against the two accusations: Iván Moreira, Carmen Gloria Aravena, Felipe Kast, José García Ruminot, David Sandoval, Juan Castro, Kenneth Pugh, Ena von Baer, José MIguel Durana, Jacqueline van Rysselberghe, Claudio Alvarado, Rodrigo Galilea and Marcela Sabat, and Manuel Ossandón abstained.
The two chapters approved the opponents Alejandro Guillier, Carlos Bianchi, Isabel Allende, Rabindranath Quinteros, Adriana Muñoz, Yasna Provoste, Jorge Soria, Juan Pablo Letelier, Carlos Montes, Guido Girardi, José Miguel Insulza, Carolina Goic, Ximena Órdenes, Juan Ignacio Latorre , Alfonso De Urresti and Pedro Araya.
Although each senator had 15 minutes to explain their position, the majority used less time, according to the newspaper El Mercurio.
This is the second attempt to remove the president of Chile, who took office in March 2018 and who, after the social crisis of 2019, failed to recover from one of the most difficult periods in the 31 years of democracy.
Chile reaches the first round of the presidential elections next Sunday after 13 months of constant electoral days to define the constitutional reform, to the constituents, presidential candidates, governors, mayors and councilors, amidst the social tension accumulated since 2019 by the social outburst.
Source From: Ambito
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