Chilean prosecutor decides to investigate ‘Pandora papers’ case involving President Piñera

The Chilean Prosecutor’s Office reported on Friday that it decided to open a new investigation into the case of the sale of a mining project in which the family of President Sebastián Piñera participated, due to indications of possible crimes of bribery and tax irregularities not previously tried.

The details of the case, released as part of the so-called Pandora Papers, I have aroused controversy in the South American country due to a clause that conditioned a payment to the absence of a regulatory change at a time when the entrepreneur was in his first term of government.

“The National Prosecutor has made this decision considering that the antecedents could have the character of a bribery crime, with its correlate of bribery, eventual tax crimes, matters that will all ultimately be the subject of an investigation”said the head of the prosecution’s anti-corruption unit, Marta Herrera.

Pinera has denied the allegations and has said that the details of the 2010 agreement were part of a previous judicial investigation that ultimately found no fault with the legislation.

Herrera clarified that the criminal investigation will specifically analyze the operation on Minera Dominga, since it was not the main object of the previous investigation. “The technical opinion is that the facts related to the sale of the mining company are not expressly included in the decision to dismiss the fourth guarantee court in 2017”, he stressed.

He explained that the contract in English signed in the British Virgin Islands was not in the research folder, although the pre-agreement that contained the conditions and other emails was.

The official said that the analysis must determine if the facts are prescribed and there is no stipulated period to complete the analysis. “We believe that it is obviously an investigation that must have very limited deadlines”Herrera said.

Opposition legislators are seeking to promote a political trial against the president, pointing out that his government has avoided defining a protection zone that would affect the installation of the controversial project.