Original article: Auditoría externa destapa $80 mil millones sin respaldo en el GORE Araucanía: Se complica gestión de Rivas y Saffirio habla de “crimen organizado”

External Audit Reveals $80 Billion in Missing Funds at Araucanía Regional Government: Saffirio Points to Organized Crime

The Governor of La Araucanía, René Saffirio, raised alarms at both regional and national levels by unveiling the results of an external audit that uncovered over $80 billion in misappropriations during the tenure of his predecessor, Luciano Rivas (Chile Vamos).

In an interview with CNN Chile Radio, the regional leader characterized the irregularities as part of an «organized crime» structure within the Regional Government (GORE) and criticized the Regional Prosecutor’s Office for its slow pace in investigations.

The audit, which Saffirio requested upon taking office, resulted in an «opinion abstention,» an accounting term used when it’s impossible to verify the allocation of significant funds. «Eighty billion pesos that we don’t know where they are, that were transferred to private entities, without any accounting, with no knowledge of whether the intended purposes were met—this is an exorbitant figure,» the governor stated.

To highlight the scale of the findings, Saffirio noted that «there is no case among regional governments that reaches such figures.»

«What is the budget for the regional government per year, for reference? Roughly 200 billion,» he explained. This means that unsupported funds comprise about 40% of the total annual budget of GORE Araucanía.

Saffirio Exposes Complex Plot and Organized Crime Involvement

Governor René Saffirio detailed that the funds were primarily transferred to private individuals, universities, and other organizations without the necessary documentation. According to his analysis, the scale and breadth of the irregularities suggest a sophisticated criminal structure.

«There is a figure I have mentioned that is organized crime, which relates to the entire entity being implicated. Not all officials are involved, but the entity as a whole engages in actions that lead to results like this,» he declared.

Saffirio also commented on a decision made by his predecessor, Luciano Rivas, who in 2022 chose to transfer all his signatures and administrative responsibilities to his delegates.

In his view, this indicated a «decision to establish a standard of impunity before the facts began to emerge.» He found it «impossible» that the former governor was unaware of financial movements of this magnitude.

Challenging Legal Landscape: 17 Investigations and Criticisms of the Prosecutor’s Office

This financial situation is further complicated by 17 ongoing investigations into crimes, including mismanagement, tax fraud, bribery, and money laundering. In response, Saffirio expressed strong criticism towards the Public Ministry in La Araucanía, accusing it of delays and political bias in the investigation of the Agreements case.

«Here, we have a regional prosecutor’s office that has not acted with the necessary urgency because when politicians who have held high-ranking positions are involved in criminal acts, the truth is that the logic of the Public Ministry at a national level has always been to select and play between left and right, rather than focusing on the institutional responsibility they hold,» he asserted.

The authority stated that the prosecutor’s inaction negatively impacts a region like La Araucanía, which faces particular issues, and he noted that the slowness of the processes «cannot be understood.»

Rejection of “Only Jail and Bullets” and Disregard for Reality