LatinNews Daily - 05 July 2018 |
Chile judge issues contentious decision on emblematic corruption case |
Development: On 4 July a Santiago guarantees judge announced that Carlos Alberto Délano and Carlos Eugenio Lavín, the founders of Penta, a Chilean financial group, as well as Pablo Wagner, a deputy mining minister (2010-2012), would face an abbreviated trial procedure in relation to the illegal campaign finance case involving Penta. Significance: In a decision likely to enrage anti-corruption activists, Justice Daniel Aravena ruled that the two Penta founders would be sentenced for tax offenses rather than the initial charges of bribery and money laundering while, Wagner would be sentenced for the additional charge of illicit enrichment. The case known as ‘Pentagate’ broke in October 2014 and had, along with other illegal campaign finance scandals such as that involving mining company Sociedad Química y Minera SA (SQM), proven highly damaging for both the centre-right Chile Vamos coalition which is now in government led by President Sebastián Piñera as well as the former leftist Nueva Mayoría coalition government led by Michelle Bachelet (2006-2010; 2014-2018).
Looking Ahead: Aravena is due to announce sentences for the three men on 9 July. |