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Just this Tuesday the Army issued a statement after hearing the news that the Regional Prosecutor of Aysén, Carlos Palma, is preparing the formalization of almost 800 active and retired officials for fraud to the treasury within the IV Aysén Division, for an amount that it amounts to about 3 billion pesos.
Through a public statement, the military institution pointed out that it is a “broad” investigation and that it is necessary to differentiate the procedures that conform to the legality of the illicit conduct, for which it called for a case-by-case review. In addition, he indicated that he will adopt sanctions against those involved only when there is a conviction involved.
“It is pertinent to reiterate that the Chilean Army does not accept or endorse conduct that implies the commission of crimes, however, it is important to bear in mind that in an investigation as extensive as the one that has been known these days, each particular situation is different from the others, Hoping that it will be distinguished in the course of the investigation between those cases in which the contracted services and the service commissions were actually provided and carried out, from those that are removed from the law“, raised the military text.
He added that “the Chilean Army, aware of what it has had to face in matters of probity in recent years, has implemented a Crime Prevention System during 2019 that goes beyond collaboration with judicial bodies and compliance with the decisions of its courts. This has involved training its members of all grades, delivering instructional material and conducting preventive inspections by its Internal Comptroller. “
It also argued that there are officers and non-commissioned officers who are accused, “however, this does not imply any prejudice, insofar as there is still no judicial resolution, insofar as there is still no judicial resolution that establishes their responsibility in the facts being investigated “.
At the same point in the statement, he pointed out that “it should be remembered that, in our rule of law, the courts are called upon to decide on the claims and accusations of the Prosecutor’s Office and the defenses presented by the accused, according to the merit of the evidence provided. . In the event of a possible conviction, the Chilean Army will adopt the corresponding resolutions, in accordance with the responsibilities determined in each case.“.
Similarly, the military institution assured that it conducted two summary investigations and that all the information was delivered to the Prosecutor’s Office. In a clear call to define responsibilities, according to the Army, “it will be up to the authorities during that period (2008 and 2016) that had interference in the implementation of said measures, to explain them to the investigating body.”
The “Cutufa de Aysén”
The investigation reveals the existence of a Mutual Aid Fund, a private informal aid mechanism in Aysén based on the voluntary savings of Army officials. When said fund, called ‘Cutufa de Aysén’, “it is the Army itself that begins to indemnify, compensate, compensate for the private losses of officers and personnel with public funds, the treasury, the military budget and there it is illegality, fraud against the treasury ”, said deputy Leonardo Soto (PS).
According to the newspaper The Mercury, in the investigation that includes personnel from the IV Division of Aysén, the Prosecutor’s Office concluded that the reimbursement of the silver of the NCOs was made with funds from the Army through various mechanisms, such as payments for services that were not made, financing of studies and travel.
Defense Explanations
After the Army’s explanations, the deputy member of the Defense Commission, Jorge Brito (RD), summoned the Ministry of Defense directly.
“There is a lot missing from the Ministry of Defense. The Army has recognized acts outside the law, has said that some measures have been adopted, which we hope to know in detail when the commander-in-chief attends the Defense commission, ”the parliamentarian said.
Next, Brito pointed to the current head of the portfolio, Baldo Prokurica, indicating that “for us it is worrying that the current Minister of Defense has not issued any statement and that Minister Desbordes has left the post thrown away just hours after the news be made public ”.
“It is important that the Ministry of Defense take charge of the problem (…) we urge that all mechanisms be adopted both internally and on the part of the Ministry of Defense so that these events do not happen again,” he concluded.
- Check the Army statement here
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