Political trial against Piñera suffers a setback, but advances in Parliament

The impeachment against the president of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, which arose after the publication of Pandora’s papers, will continue its processing in Congress next week with the recommendation that the instance not prosper, a decision taken this Friday by the commission of deputies who reviewed the libel.

In a non-binding vote, by 2 votes in favor, 2 against and 1 abstention, the instance made up of 5 deputies rejected the admissibility of the trial, which seeks the removal or disqualification of the president.

The origin of the accusation, promoted by the opposition, lies in the alleged irregularities in the sale of Minera Dominga by a company owned by the sons of Pinera in the British Virgin Islands, just nine months after he took office for his first term (2010-2014).

As revealed by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), the project was sold to the businessman and family friend Carlos Alberto Délano for US $ 152 million, US $ 138 million of which materialized in the tax haven.

“Here are events that have affected Chile. It has never been clarified why a business was done outside of our country and although (Piñera) has been dismissed, there is no reason not to judge him politically”, Wielded Maya Fernández, president of the review body that voted in favor.

Despite the negative report issued by the commission, where two right-wing deputies voted against, two opponents in favor and one independent abstained, the procedure will continue and next Monday will be the key appointment of the vote in the Chamber of Deputies, where it will require the support of 78 of the 155 parliamentarians.

If successful, it would be discussed later in the Senate, where it needs a two-thirds quorum.

This procedure, called “constitutional indictment”, Which empowers parliamentarians to disqualify and dismiss public office, runs in parallel to a judicial investigation at the request of the Public Ministry for possible tax and bribery offenses in the same financial operation.

Piñera maintains his innocence

The president, who presented his defense in writing last week, has defended in public appearances that he had dissociated himself from his businesses through blind trusts in 2009 and that what was revealed in Pandora’s papers was already investigated and dismissed in 2017.

“Without acts constituting a crime, it is impossible to establish responsibilities. Accusing the president constitutes an act of gravity such that its consequences for the political and social future could cause irreparable damage”, Said the official Paula Núñez.

The most controversial argument in the lawsuit was the information revealed by the ICIJ about an alleged clause in the sales contract that would condition the payment of the third and final installment to the fact that the area where the deposit was to be installed was not declared environmentally protected.

The mine, which has not yet been built, is going to be located in the Coquimbo region, in the north of the country, an area near a Humboldt penguin reserve unique in the world, which is not protected despite the indications of environmental organizations and of the opposition.

“The indictment does not contain any antecedents that indicate that the president has blocked the initiative to protect the area“Said the independent Pepe Auth.

The impeachment trial takes place during the last months of Piñera’s mandate, who has one of the largest fortunes in the country and will leave office next March, and coincides with a presidential election period that has been shaken by a case of COVID-19 that he quarantined several candidates and parliamentarians.

At least three opposition deputies will not be able to vote on the accusation next Monday because they are in preventive isolation and since telematic voting is not enabled, a situation that could complicate obtaining the 78 votes necessary for the accusation to succeed.

The socialist deputy Jaime Naranjo He even pointed out that “by law”The interventions of the deputies can be extended so that the vote is extended for several days until the return of the parliamentarians in isolation.

This is the second attempt to politically judge Pinera, after the failed attempt in November 2019 for alleged human rights violations amid the massive protests against inequality, the most serious since the end of the dictatorship.

Since the return to democracy in 1990, all presidents in Chile have finished their terms.