Original article: Lavín León a prisión preventiva: tribunal lo consideró “peligro para la sociedad” en causa por corrupción

Joaquín Lavín León Faces Preventive Detention as Court Names Him «Societal Danger» in Corruption Case

The Seventh Guarantee Court in Santiago has ordered preventive detention for former deputy Joaquín Lavín León, citing him as a «danger to society.» This decision was made on Friday after the court assessed the seriousness of the corruption allegations against him.

During the formalization hearing, Judge Daniel Urrutia confirmed the charges against the ex-member of the Independent Democratic Union (UDI) party, which include fraud against the treasury, influence peddling, and malicious use of private commercial instruments.

“Given the severity of the potential penalties, the recurrence of the crimes, and the nature of the accusations, the release of the accused constitutes a danger to society,» stated the judge when announcing the precautionary measure.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the former parliamentarian, whose immunity was lifted by the Supreme Court earlier this year, implemented a repeated and systematic mechanism to divert funds for personal and electoral purposes, resulting in a fiscal damage exceeding 104 million pesos.

This scheme allegedly involved the issuance of ideologically false receipts for campaign expenses, the creation of software allegedly financed with legislative funds, and expected corruption acts within the Municipality of Maipú while his wife, Cathy Barriga, served as mayor.

The investigation indicates that 34 false invoices were issued between June 2017 and November 2022. These documents were reportedly generated by two printing houses associated with one of the other accused, Juan Silva Morales, and delivered to the former legislator through intermediary Arnoldo Domínguez.

Illegal UDI Campaign Financing through Platform Funded by Congress

A second area of the investigation focuses on the digital platform SocialTazk, developed by the company Modo 74. The prosecution claims this system, designed to collect voter data and send mass messages for electoral purposes, was developed using public funds. They further stated that this tool was even offered to other candidates within the same political sector, which could potentially constitute illegal campaign financing.

SocialTazk was created in 2018 by Felipe Vázquez Diéguez, a computer engineer and advisor to Lavín León, through the company Modo 74 SpA. While the former deputy is not listed as the owner, the prosecution identifies him as the «driving force and financier» behind the project.

The Eastern Prosecutor’s Office argued that it is clear the data collection conducted by Lavín León and his parliamentary team was part of a strategy to develop a nationwide database for the UDI, with «explicitly electoral purposes,» especially for use in the series of elections planned for 2020 and 2021.

The hearing also addressed the hiring of alleged “phantom employees.” According to the prosecution, a group of individuals received salaries from Lavín León’s parliamentary allowances without performing any effective duties in his office.

Congress-Paid Advisors Allegedly Worked on Lavín Infante’s Campaign

Another angle that could broaden the investigation is linked to evidence suggesting that a group of parliamentary advisors employed by Lavín León, funded with Congressional resources, may have worked at the campaign office of his father Joaquín Lavín Infante during the 2021 presidential elections.

Prosecutor Constanza Encina presented evidence regarding the employees, including Shigue Ogino, who from January to May 2021 received a monthly salary of 2,591,400 pesos as a public servant while working in the political offices of the defendant’s father. The list also included Romina Molina and Carlos Vargas, the latter specifically assigned to tasks at the headquarters that served as the campaign headquarters for the failed presidential candidacy of Lavín Infante (UDI), who lost to Sebastián Sichel in the Chile Vamos primaries.

The preventive detention measure was also applied to Lavín León’s former advisor, Arnaldo Domínguez, while businessman Juan Silva Morales was placed under nighttime house arrest and national confinement. Meanwhile, the IT specialist Felipe Vázquez—linked to the SocialTazk platform and currently in Spain—faces a detention order for failing to appear before the court.

The Seventh Guarantee Court of Santiago has set a 90-day period for the investigation to proceed.