Shock Over $19 Million Salaries: Unveiling the High Earnings of State Defense Council Officials

Original article: “Sueldos de $19 millones y otros de $15 millones”: El destape de los millonarios sueldos de funcionarios del Consejo de Defensa del Estado

CDE Officials Earn Salaries Surpassing the President, Reaching Up to $19.9 Million

A total of 37 employees from the State Defense Council (CDE) received gross salaries in April that equal or exceed the $11.3 million salary of President José Antonio Kast, as reported by El Mercurio and later confirmed by Radio Bío Bío. Some legal advisors even reached salaries as high as $19.9 million, in a context of declared fiscal constraints by the government.

Among the ten highest salaries at the CDE are Jorge Mario Escobar ($19.9 million), Raúl Letelier ($15.6 million), Ernestina Israel ($15.2 million), and Rodrigo Quintana ($15.2 million). Other notable figures include the president of the organization, Ana María Hübner ($15.1 million), and advisors Carlos Mackenney, Daniel Martorell, Paulina Veloso ($15.1 million each), Juan Peribonio ($15.0 million), and José Soto ($14.9 million).

The CDE explained to El Mercurio that «the salaries of the Council’s employees are determined according to the unique salary scale and their organic law, a special regime shared by other autonomous services or regulatory bodies in the state administration.» The increases from March to April were attributed to a bonus linked to an older law regarding oversight functions.

These figures have sparked public debate, particularly as they emerge amid calls for austerity and fiscal control from the Executive. While President Kast earns a gross monthly salary of $11.3 million, at least 37 CDE lawyers matched or surpassed this amount, sometimes exceeding it by $8.6 million.

Watch the video below: Radio Biobío

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