President Sebastian Pinera rejects Pandora Papers report linking him to controversial 2010 sale of a mining firm.
Opposition lawmakers in Chile have launched impeachment proceedings in opposition to President Sebastian Pinera over the controversial sale of a mining firm by way of a agency owned by his youngsters, after new particulars emerged within the Pandora Papers leaks.
Pinera used “his workplace for private enterprise”, Congressman Tomas Hirsch mentioned on Wednesday as he offered the accusation within the decrease home of Congress, step one in an impeachment course of that would final for a number of weeks.
The transfer comes after Chile’s public prosecutor mentioned this month it could open an investigation into doable bribery-related corruption costs, in addition to tax violations associated to the 2010 sale of the Dominga mine, which befell throughout Pinera’s first time period in workplace.
The probe was prompted by the Pandora Papers leaks, an unlimited trove of stories on the hidden wealth of world leaders researched by the Worldwide Consortium of Journalists (ICIJ).
The Pandora Papers linked Pinera to the sale of Dominga, a sprawling copper and iron venture, by way of an organization owned by his youngsters, to businessman Carlos Delano – an in depth pal of the president – for $152m.
It mentioned a big a part of the operation was carried out within the British Virgin Islands.
As well as, it mentioned a controversial clause was included that made the final fee of the enterprise conditional on “not establishing an space of environmental safety within the space of operations of the mining firm, as demanded by environmental teams”. That call falls inside the remit of the Chilean president.
Pinera, one of many richest individuals in Chile, has denied any wrongdoing, saying the sale had beforehand been examined and dismissed by courts in 2017. “As president of Chile, I’ve by no means, by no means carried out any motion nor administration associated to Dominga Mining,” he mentioned final week.
However one other opposition Chilean legislator, Jaime Naranjo, one of many drivers of the impeachment continuing, mentioned Pinera had “brazenly infringed the Structure … severely compromising the honour of the nation”.
Now Chile’s Chamber of Deputies, managed by the opposition, must resolve whether or not to approve or reject the indictment. A vote that can happen the primary week of November, congressional sources defined to the AFP information company.
If it receives the go-ahead, the case would go to the Senate, which must act as a jury to seal Pinera’s destiny.
The controversy got here prematurely of presidential and legislative elections in November.
Pinera’s second time period, which started in March 2018, is ready to finish subsequent March. He will likely be leaving workplace deeply unpopular after his right-wing coalition suffered a shock defeat in an election in Might for a constituent meeting tasked with re-writing the nation’s structure.
The impeachment push got here a day after Pinera declared a state of emergency in two southern areas of Chile the place a battle with Indigenous Mapuche individuals – who’re demanding the restoration of their ancestral lands and extra autonomy – is intensifying.
“We now have determined to name a state of exception” in 4 provinces of the southern areas of Biobio and Araucania, in addition to deploy troops to assist management “the intense disturbance of public order” there, the president mentioned in a speech on Tuesday.
Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman, reporting from Santiago, mentioned armed Mapuche teams “have change into an increasing number of daring” and have been “finishing up acts of arson, sabotage, [and] taking on land”.
“The president has been beneath great stress for months now from conservatives inside his personal get together, and different teams together with truck drivers, to name a stage of siege within the Araucania, however he has been reluctant to take action till now,” Newman mentioned.