Former Vitacura Community Director Sentenced for Delivering Municipal Bribes to Ex-Mayor Torrealba

Original article: Condenan a exDideco de Vitacura que admitió entregar sobres con $5 millones municipales al exalcalde Torrealba

In a major corruption investigation surrounding the Municipality of Vitacura, the Fourth Criminal Court of Santiago condemned Antonia Larraín, the former interim director of Community Development (Dideco), on Tuesday for admitting to delivering envelopes containing approximately $5 million in cash to then-mayor Raúl Torrealba (former RN) each month.

The sentencing followed an abbreviated trial in which Larraín accepted responsibility for 20 repeated counts of fraud against the treasury. The court, presided over by judge Sergio Cárdenas, imposed a five-year prison sentence, a fine of 698 UTM (approximately $48.54 million), and a ten-year ban on holding public positions. However, at the defense’s request, she was granted an alternative sentence of intensive supervised release.

The hearing featured participation from prosecutor Alicia Ascencio of the Northern Regional Prosecutor’s Office, whose team, led by chief prosecutor Francisco Jacir, is overseeing the investigation. The sentence aligns with an agreement between Larraín’s defense and the State Defense Council regarding payment of the fine and civil damages through the sale of her home.

Monthly Envelopes for Torrealba

Larraín’s confession, after working 16 years in the municipality, including the last three as interim Dideco director, detailed the modus operandi that began in 2018. In her statement to investigators, she explained how she became involved in the monthly cash deliveries to Torrealba.

“Once I took office, Mayor Raúl Torrealba summoned me to his office and informed me that I would receive an envelope each month containing approximately $5 million to give to him,” Larraín stated during her testimony, as reported by El Mostrador.

The scheme had a familial component. According to the investigation, her uncle, Domingo Prieto, a historic finance chief of the «Vita» corporations in the township, was the one who physically handed her the envelopes, making him a central figure in the system of diverting funds from these municipal entities.

Larraín self-reported in August 2021, shortly after her removal from office. Her detailed confession regarding amounts and methodology has made her a key witness in the criminal aspect that seeks to establish the former mayor Torrealba’s accountability, as he is accused of leading an organization that defrauded nearly $761 million from the municipality.

It’s worth noting that during the investigation, the Public Ministry revealed that the former mayor maintained a bank account with over 2.3 billion pesos and at a second property, bundles of cash were discovered hidden within the walls.

Other Convictions and Torrealba’s Situation

The case has already seen other convictions through abbreviated trials. Former municipal accountants Arnaldo Cañas and Augusto César Silva received three-year prison sentences alongside fines starting at $16 million. Additionally, former Community Development director Renato Sepúlveda, also implicated, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.

However, for ex-mayor Raúl Torrealba, who faces charges of fraud against the treasury, criminal association, and money laundering, a plea deal remains off the table. The prosecution claims he is the leader of the organization that perpetrated the fraud, meaning his case will proceed to an oral trial. Larraín’s conviction and agreement strengthen the narrative surrounding the illicit flow of money to the then-top municipal authority.

The investigation into the municipal fund diversion scheme in Vitacura is advancing towards a decisive phase, awaiting upcoming judicial determinations regarding the primary defendant, Raúl Torrealba, as the intricate web of diversions affecting one of the country’s wealthiest municipalities is revealed.