Original article: “Yo era solamente un palo blanco”: imputada apunta a senador Calisto por millonarios pagos del Congreso

«I Was Just a Front»: Accused Implicates Senator Calisto in Massive Congressional Payments Scandal

In a statement that shakes the political landscape, Carla Graf Toledo and Roland Cárcamo Catalán, former associates of Senator Miguel Ángel Calisto, provided crucial testimony to the Public Ministry on June 23 that directly implicates the lawmaker as the mastermind behind a scheme to divert millions in fiscal resources from the Congress.

Both accused, who had a close friendship and trust with the legislator, identified him as the brain behind a network for fund triangulation that reportedly operated for years.

The investigation, as revealed by Bío Bío Chile, focuses on Graf’s hiring as a parliamentary advisor to Calisto between 2018 and 2022. «I was just a front,» stated the special education teacher, acknowledging that she had never provided the advisory services for which the government paid approximately 10 million pesos that, according to the prosecution, ended up in the senator’s personal accounts. Her confession coincides with that of her spouse, Roland Cárcamo, who claimed the reports justifying the payments were completely fabricated.

«She Was a Kind of Ghost Employee»

Cárcamo, who testified before prosecutor Luis Contreras Alfaro and PDI agents, recounted meeting Calisto in 2014 when he was a regional councilor for Aysén, introduced by then-Senator Patricio Walker, and eventually became his campaign manager and unofficial chief of staff. «Carla Graf was merely a front,» he asserted, confirming that his wife’s hiring was simply a facade to secure resources that Calisto could not manage directly.

According to him, the reports submitted to Congress to justify Graf’s fees were «fake» and noted they were filled with standard activities that fit Calisto’s parliamentary agenda.

«All of that is false. Those advisory roles described in the contractual obligations were not fulfilled by Carla Graf, nor by me, nor by anyone else,» he emphasized.

Fund for Political Expenses and Misappropriated International Contributions

The motive behind the scheme, according to Cárcamo, was to create a fund for political expenses and electoral clientelism and explained that approximately 70% of the funds were directed to the deputy’s personal expenses, with the remaining 30% allocated for political management expenses, including social aid to secure votes, office payments, field expenses, and even meals and lodging. «All the people receiving assistance would vote for the parliamentarian in the future,» he stated.

Furthermore, he implicated the Fundación Proyecto Futuro, an NGO where he was listed as the legal representative and Graf as the treasurer, which operated in Calisto’s parliamentary office and later at his mother’s house. He stated that the organization received international donations such as $20,000 from the Taiwanese embassy, 10 million pesos from Israel, and $10,000 from a Miami foundation, supposedly for social aid but which ended up funding Calisto’s personal expenses, and in some cases, those of Deputy Joanna Pérez, as reported by the cited media.

Threats and Insider Information

In her statement, Graf not only confirmed her husband’s allegations but also indicated that she was a victim of threats. The accused recounted that while they were at the PDI, she received a call from a supposed number of Carabineros who told her, «we’re going to kill the guy, he’s looking pretty skinny now,» referring to her spouse.

Cárcamo, on his part, asserted that Calisto possesses privileged information obtained in the Constitutional, Legislation, and Justice Commission, which he allegedly used to secure favorable rulings, specifically mentioning the case of Minister Jean Pierre Matus, who voted in favor of the senator’s immunity removal. He also alleged payments from the parliamentarian’s circle to former regional prosecutor of Aysén, Carlos Palma, although he admitted he didn’t have precise details on this point.

Calisto’s Defense Denies All Allegations

Senator Calisto’s defense, led by lawyer César Ramos, dismissed the accusations as entirely false and asserted that they are merely an attempt by Cárcamo and Graf to improve their legal situation. He argued that the money transfers between Graf and Calisto can be explained by friendship, neighborhood ties, and joint projects, such as their shared purchase of a piece of land in the rural area where they both lived, separated by just one parcel.

Ramos maintained that Graf did provide support services for parliamentary duties, and that there is evidence such as testimonies, WhatsApp chats, and documents verifying her work. «One can have valid opinions about whether Ms. Graf was suitable for that position or whether her actions were good or bad. But that is a very different matter from what the Prosecutor’s Office claims, which is that she did not work,» he argued.

He also denied the allegations regarding former prosecutor Palma, stating that these are false accusations made by Cárcamo intended to improve his legal situation, especially considering he was in preventive detention for another case.