Former Carabineros Captain Convicted of Blinding Senator Campillai Granted Daily Prison Release for Education Job Linked to Republican Politician’s Family

Original article: Condenado por dejar ciega a senadora Campillai podrá salir a diario de prisión para trabajar en preuniversitario ligado al padre de un diputado republicano

The former Carabineros captain Patricio Maturana, sentenced to 12 years in prison for the crime of unlawful coercion resulting in serious injuries, after being found responsible for firing a tear gas canister that struck directly in the face of the current senator Fabiola Campillai (Ind), leaving her blind, has received a new judicial benefit allowing him to leave prison daily to perform administrative work at a pre-university institution in Curicó, associated with the father of a member of the Republican Party.

The San Bernardo Guarantee Court has authorized this controlled exit, which does not create an amnesty or permanent release, but falls within the penalties and privileges framework of the Chilean judicial system. In fact, prior to this measure, the ex-officer benefited from a weekly Sunday release.

According to the judicial ruling, starting last Monday, August 10, Maturana can leave the Molina Penitentiary at 07:00 AM and must return by 10:00 PM, fulfilling an approximately 15-hour workday outside before returning to overnight in prison.

According to documents obtained by the media Contrapoder Chile, this measure was formally requested by the prison warden, who supported the granting of the permit based on the employment application the inmate submitted.

The job facilitating this daily release is for a secretarial position at the Curicó branch of the Preuniversity Cpech. The selection letter addressed to Maturana specifies that his employment contract outlines a workload of 42 hours per week, spread across an in-person schedule that runs from 09:00 to 19:00 on Mondays and Fridays, and from 09:00 to 18:00 for the rest of the week, with an hour allocated for lunch.

Maturana to Work at Preuniversity Linked to Republican Politician’s Family

The intrapenitentiary benefit for daily labor in an educational institution gains significance after Diario Público revealed the connection of the pre-university with businessman Cristián Moreno Benavente, who is identified as the founder of the Cpech Educational Group and is also the father of Benjamin Moreno, a Republican deputy for Curicó.

As reported by CIPER in an article published in November 2014, Benavente, known for his leadership of the Chilean Rodeo Federation, is listed as a representative of the company Inversiones El Peumo, one of the controlling entities of the educational holding that includes Cpech and other academic institutions.

Preuniversity Received Tax Benefits for Political Campaign Donations

Another aspect that has generated public debate is the educational group’s relationship with the financing of political campaigns. The CIPER report documented that Cpech S.A. was among the 242 companies that benefited from tax incentives for reserved donations to political activities in 2013. While the exact amount of these contributions was not disclosed, the fact that the workplace of the convicted person is linked to a sitting congress member adds a political dimension to the granting of this prison benefit.

Is Kast Granting an Amnesty to the Ex-Carabineros Officer Convicted of Blinding Senator Campillai?

This judicial decision comes amid growing controversy surrounding Patricio Maturana. Days before the granting of daily exit privileges, the Chamber of Deputies voted with 73 in favor, 51 against, and 16 abstentions, passing a resolution that requests President José Antonio Kast grant presidential amnesty to the former officer.

Senator Campillai harshly criticized this political protection measure for her aggressor, despite having received a final judgment from justice on this case, rendered by the Oral Criminal Court of San Bernardo and subsequently confirmed by higher courts.

«I sought justice in the courts and achieved it, because Patricio Maturana shot me, blinded me, and took away my ability to see my children and grandchildren’s faces forever,» she stated, emphasizing that «with these acts of impunity, the right tarnishes the institutionality of this National Congress.»

«This is hate, classism, re-victimization,» the senator stressed, warning that the request for amnesty further harms the victims of events that occurred during the social upheaval of 2019.

Despite the political controversy and the new judicial permission, Maturana remains formally incarcerated, thus he must adhere strictly to the conditions imposed by Gendarmeria and the court. The benefit is subject to evaluation and can be revoked if the inmate commits disciplinary infractions.