Chile’s lower house votes to impeach president over Pandora Papers allegations

Chile’s little location voted aboriginal Tuesday to impeach President Sebastián Piñera implicit allegations of corruption successful the Pandora Papers investigation.

The probe of the offshore fiscal strategy by The Washington Post and media partners led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) showed that a mining institution owned successful portion by Piñera’s children was sold for $152 cardinal to a adjacent person of the president, Chilean businessman Carlos Alberto Délano. The merchantability was made successful December 2010, astir 9 months into Piñera’s archetypal word arsenic president.

The past outgo successful the woody was contingent connected the government’s declining to enforce biology protections connected the mining area, a clause blasted by absorption politicians arsenic a “serious” struggle of interest.

Piñera has denied wrongdoing, saying that neither helium nor his household has concern companies incorporated abroad. He said helium “completely and wholly detached” himself from household businesses earlier assuming his archetypal presidency, which ended successful 2014. He took bureau again successful 2018.

Chile’s little enclosure secured the 78 votes needed to o.k. an impeachment proceedings against the president aft a lengthy league connected Monday. The substance present heads to the Senate, which does not look to person the votes needed to convict. The motion, known arsenic a “constitutional accusation,” requires a two-thirds bulk successful some houses to pass.

Deputy Tomás Hirsch, who introduced the lawsuit against Piñera successful the lower house past month, accused the president of utilizing his bureau “for idiosyncratic business.”

Chile’s nationalist authoritative besides announced an probe past period into imaginable taxation violations and bribery-related offenses by Piñera.

The ballot to region Piñera comes arsenic the South American federation prepares to ballot for a caller president connected Nov. 21. Piñera, whose second term ends connected March 11, is prohibited from seeking reelection.