SANTIAGO – Parliamentarians demand investigation of Chilean politicians for their presumed relation with the OAS money laundering case. Representatives of governing coalition Chile Vamos want to create a commission to expose the nexus the conglomerate has in Chile.
Former Presidents Michelle Bachelet and Eduardo Frei will face and investigate over their presumed relations with the Brazilian construction conglomerate OAS. Deputies Paulina Nuñez and Juan Antonio Coloma of Chile Vamos asked the public prosecutor to cite both Bachelet and Frei for the case. The deputies introduced a denouncement to the public ministry to investigate alleged financial irregularities in the 2013 presidential campaign.
According to CNN Chile, deputy Nuñez pointed out that “it’s impossible that this kind of crimes punishable in many countries and have caused presidents destitutions. but in Chile nothing happens”.In addition, the investigation led by prosecutor Ximena Chong, who is in charge of investigating the irregularities of the case, revealed compromising information. Almost 9GB of emails from OAS Chile manager Felipe do Prado Padovani were found. According to CNN Chile, thousands of emails from 2008 to 2015 would link OAS with the campaigns.
So far, 16 messages between Giorgio Martelli and do Prado point to OAS donations to Eduardo Frei’s political campaign in 2019, led by Martelli. For his part, Martelli told daily La Tercera that his nexus with OAS arose in 2009, when he educated the conglomerate about Chilean campaign finance laws. Besides, he admitted that in 2014, after Bachelet’s campaign, he developed professional activities for OAS.
These activities related to construction projects. “In the cases of irregular financing in Chile I admit my responsibility, I have talked about all I’ve done and I have faced justice. My actions have been mistakes but I have committed no crime,” said Martelli.
Editor-In-Chief Boris van der Spek is the founder of Chile Today.