Congress Scandal: Chahuán’s Bill to Release Criminals Allegedly Plagiarizes Punta Peuco Lawyer’s Work

Original article: Escándalo en el Congreso: Proyecto de Chahuán para excarcelar a criminales sería ‘copy paste’ de texto de abogada de reos de Punta Peuco

Senator Chahuán Allegedly Plagiarized Bill from Punta Peuco Lawyer, 24 Horas Metadata Reveals

An Investigation by 24 Horas TVN has revealed that the controversial punishment commutation bill presented by Senator Francisco Chahuán (RN) on January 30, 2025, is a textual copy of a draft created by Carla Fernández Montero, attorney for Punta Peuco inmates sentenced for human rights violations. Exclusive access to the document shows that 21 out of its 23 pages are identical, with not a single comma altered in its legal justifications.

When approached for comment, Senator Chahuán vehemently denied having consulted the lawyer’s text. «It’s a project we have presented five times before,» the parliamentarian stated, adding that «it’s likely the other way around.» However, a review of his previous motions by 24 Horas confirms that none contained the specific arguments or wording present in this year’s text, which was approved in general by a vote of 23 to 22 on March 4.

The most compelling evidence comes from a metadata analysis that 24 Horas TVN accessed. The technical information from both digital files indicates they were created by the same author. Fernández’s draft dates back to early January 2025, while Chahuán’s document was created on January 30, the same day it was introduced in the Senate. «The lawyer’s text was created in early January 2025 and Chahuán’s on January 30 of that same year,» details the forensic report.

The bill, which aims to benefit elderly inmates, specifically targets those convicted of human rights abuses, as represented by Fernández. Its text argues that «the legal fiction of permanent kidnapping has irrationally allowed former military criminals to be seen as continuing to act unlawfully today.» The only significant difference between the two texts lies in the article changing the eligibility age from 70 to 80 years, while adding prison time to maintain a minimum of 70 years.

Following repeated queries from this outlet, Chahuán’s team committed to providing a project presented 17 years ago that would substantiate his claim of original authorship, a document that was never delivered by the time this edition closed. After 9 PM, Chahuán sent a statement reiterating his version, but did not provide evidence to disprove the metadata analysis. Meanwhile, attorney Carla Fernández declined to comment for this report.

See the full report at 24 Horas TVN link

Senator Chahuán Allegedly Presented Identical Bill to Document by Punta Peuco Inmate’s Lawyer