Sebastián Piñera denied having hidden assets in tax havens

by time news

The Chilean presidency denied this Sunday that President Sebastián Piñera had participated or had information about the sale process of the Dominga mining company, after the publication of the so-called “Pandora Papers”, a journalistic investigation that denounces the asset concealment in tax havens by billionaires and leaders around the world.

The President has never participated or had any information regarding the sale process of Minera Dominga, an operation that took place in 2010, ” when the president no longer had participation in the administration of the companies, the Presidency said, noting that these events had already been investigated “in depth.” ‘for the Chilean justice.

The Pandora Papers, published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, with the participation of the investigative media CIPER in Chile, indicate that Piñera’s family and his wife Cecilia Morel were the biggest shareholders of the controversial Dominga mining project and that, together with his businessman friend Carlos Délano, accounted for 56% of the property. In 2010, Délano bought Piñera’s stake and other partners for $ 152 million.

The operations would have been carried out in the British Virgin Islands and involved payment in three installments. The last and most controversial of the payments would be subject to the fact that the area where the mine was going to operate was not declared of environmental protection, in order to prevent the installation of the project from being obstructed, which in addition to the mining also involved the construction of a port.

According to the publication, investors, including the Piñera Morel family, would have obtained a 1,000% profit in 18 months.

Sebastián Piñera rejected the accusations through a statement from the Chilean Presidency. Photo Alberto Valdés / EFE

The Punta Choros area where the project would be located is known for its high environmental value, close to the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve, where protected species live and where the sighting of southern dolphins and whales, among many other animals, is also frequent. Recently, a regional Environmental Assessment Commission gave the green light to the mining project, which generated opposition demonstrations.

For the moment, it has not been classified as an environmental protected area neither in the first government (2010-2014), when the sale took place, nor in the current second term of Piñera.

“The information that we have just learned is extremely serious. Sebastián Piñera evades taxes in tax havens, hides relevant information and also always privileges his personal interest over the common good,” said the left-wing presidential candidate Gabriel Boric. The Dominga mining project it is” an attack on the environment and a unique ecosystem that we have in Chile and we must protect, ” he added.

Along the same lines, the environmental organization Greenpeace stated: “The antecedents presented allow us to suppose a obvious conflict of interest between the collective and public interest of protecting an invaluable area for its biodiversity and the economic and family interest of the presidency, “said Matías Asún, president of the Chilean branch of the organization.

And he added: “We must remember that the declaration of environmental protection is a decision that requires a preponderant role of the presidency itself and therefore must be investigated in depth”.

In its statement, the Presidency indicates that the facts they have already been investigated by the Chilean courts.

“The Prosecutor’s Office recommended that the case be terminated due to the absence of a crime.” and Piñera’s lack of participation in the operation, says the Presidency in the text, stating that this decision was accepted by the court of first instance and “unanimously ratified” by the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.

However, some of the background to the case – such as the condition that only the third payment would be made if a regulatory change was made that did not protect the area where the project was to be installed – were barely made public on Sunday.

The Presidency reiterated that Piñera “has not participated in the administration of any company for more than 12 years, before assuming his first presidency “, and neither he” nor his family have investment companies incorporated abroad. ”

“Any statement contrary to the aforementioned does not correspond to the truth,” is added in the statement, and it is also noted that, since 2018 and following the Probity law, Piñera’s assets are in blind trusts and the president “does not know the investments made.”

In addition, it is stated in the text, Piñera and his family have voluntarily submitted “and despite the fact that the law does not require it” to blind trusts regarding their “participation in joint-stock companies listed in Chile.”

Sebastián Piñera assured that he has no hidden assets in tax havens.  Photo EFE

Sebastián Piñera assured that he has no hidden assets in tax havens. Photo EFE

Argentina, on the podium of the accused

New work from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) revealed new secret files on tax havens. According to this research, Argentina is the third country in the world with the most beneficiaries of offshore firms.

617 journalists from 117 countries participated in the report, called “Pandora Papers”, who revealed business and financial secrets of more than 30 state leaders, 330 politicians and officials from around the world, as well as renowned celebrities, singers and footballers.

In the published file, there are 2,521 Argentine owners of companies created in tax havens, with fancy names and Panamanian directors who fulfill that same role for many other companies.

The publication indicates that Argentina is part of the podium of countries with the highest number of final beneficiaries among all offshore companies, only surpassed by natives of Russia (4,437) and the United Kingdom (3,501). The top 5 are completed by China and Brazil.

Most Argentines – 79% – chose the British Virgin Islands as a tax haven, while the rest chose offshore centers such as Belize and Panama, among others, according to La Nación, which participated in the work.

DB

.

You may also like

Leave a Comment