Patricio Espinoza Under Scrutiny: Audit Office Orders Debt Collection for Fraud as He Takes Office in Aysén Delegation

Original article: Patricio Espinoza en la mira: Contraloría ordena cobro de deuda por fraude mientras asume cargo en la Delegación

Recently, it was announced that Patricio Espinoza Bravo would assume the role of press officer for the Regional Delegation of Aysén, just as the Audit Office has issued a «financial charge» against him, compelling him to reimburse public funds. This development follows years of a complex narrative involving allegations of mistreatment, hundreds of days of medical leave—many of which were rejected for him working concurrently—and a lawsuit against the State.

Patricio Espinoza Bravo’s suitability for public positions is now under serious legal scrutiny. The team at El Ciudadano obtained the Exempt Resolution RE6670, issued on March 2 by the Regional Audit Office of Aysén. This document formalizes a ‘financial charge’ against the journalist; a legal determination that confirms Espinoza has an outstanding debt to the State after irregularities in public resource usage were discovered.

This resolution is not merely an administrative procedure but the conclusion of an investigation that requires the former official to restore funds to the treasury, calling into question his integrity to take on new responsibilities within the regional administration.

It should be noted that the document instructs the Regional Ministerial Secretariat (SEREMI) of Social Development and Family of Aysén to take the necessary measures promptly to recover the owed amount and ensure its return to public coffers. Furthermore, it requires the SEREMI to provide documented updates to the Audit Office on the process of recovering these funds, thus concluding the auditing cycle initiated after earlier complaints.

The History of Chile Chico

Espinoza Bravo’s controversies date back several years to 2013, when he was formally charged for recording a blind journalism student without consent and then disseminating it on Local Radio Chile Chico, where he was employed as a journalist and also served as the chief of staff for Governor Pedro Durán. 

According to bank records from that time, Espinoza was required to pay $150,000 to the victim, Cristián Yana, with the case being dismissed after 13 months if the conditions set by the court were fulfilled.

Years later, while working for the SEREMI of Social Development of Aysén, the journalist activated a protocol against Workplace and Sexual Harassment (MALS) against his superior, the then chief of staff Camilo Gutiérrez. 

Espinoza recounted to local media that the conflict involved verbal abuse and threats that were reportedly recorded on security cameras. Following this, he initiated labor protection proceedings in court and was referred to the ACHS, where he was diagnosed with a professional illness associated with depression. During the investigation, he was removed from his communication duties and reassigned to administrative tasks, a process he described as ‘slow and exhausting.’

Meanwhile, the then-Seremi Karina Acevedo remarked that the reassignment was made based on a technical recommendation to avoid contact between the parties. However, documents from late 2024 reveal a failed attempt to transfer Espinoza to the Regional Government following a request from the Governor. Seremi Acevedo explained at the time that the movement was unfeasible as the official was on a valid medical leave.

In 2025, the Fiscal Prosecutor’s Office of Coyhaique of the State Defense Council (CDE) intervened due to the aforementioned labor lawsuit. The CDE document is revealing: it details a settlement proposal presented by Espinoza himself to conclude the judicial conflict, which involved him being allowed to take on roles in the Regional Government of Aysén under service commission throughout 2025. The CDE warned that this could not be a formal legal ‘transaction’ but rather a direct agreement between the parties, and urgently requested information on the status of a previous administrative inquiry and the assessment of his professional illness.

The Pattern: “Incompatible Health” and Abuse of Medical Leaves

Patricio Espinoza Bravo’s medical history is not only marked by its length but also by serious contradictions found by oversight bodies. In June 2024, the Undersecretariat of Social Services initiated a vacancy process for “incompatible health” (under Art. 151 of the Administrative Statute), after certifying that the journalist initially accumulated 250 days of medical leave in two years. 

However, El Ciudadano’s investigation revealed that the number eventually rose to a total of 311 days of rest, averaging more than 155 days of absence per year.

The inquiry into his health status shifted from administrative to ethical and legal when the COMPIN confirmed that during his supposed leave periods, the official was engaged in paid work for third parties. Specifically, a resolution dated October 23, 2025, verified that Espinoza provided «2024 Memory Design Services» for the Port Company Chacabuco while on medical leave. This finding constitutes a serious violation of Art. 55 letter b) of D.S. 03/84, invalidating his leaves legally and turning the health benefit into a direct debt with public finances.

As a definitive consequence, the Regional Audit Office of Aysén issued on March 2, 2026, the Exempt Resolution RE6670, formalizing a “financial charge” against the former official. The document mandates the SEREMI of Social Development to adopt «the necessary measures promptly to collect the owed amount.» This scenario eerily parallels his past: just as in 2013, he had to document bank payments to secure an alternative outcome for privacy-related offenses, he now faces a state order to restore funds for breaching public trust and state resources.

The Role of Politics and Oversight

This brings us to an official request sent on June 27, 2025, by deputy René Alinco Bustos to the Regional Audit Office of Aysén. In this request, the deputy formally solicited an administrative inquiry and oversight regarding the performance of official Patricio Cristóbal Espinoza Bravo, who was working in the Regional Ministerial Secretariat (SEREMI) of Social Development and Family of Aysén.

The deputy’s request was based on citizen complaints received in his parliamentary office, alleging extended and repeated use of medical leaves by the official over the past two years, in addition to questioning the lack of administrative actions taken by the service’s management regarding this situation.

Moreover, the document mentions a serious accusation: it has been suggested that the official may have issued fee invoices while on medical leave. The deputy warned that, if proven, this could constitute a violation of compatibility regulations and administrative integrity, prompting him to request that the Audit Office clarify the facts and establish the corresponding responsibilities.

The case of Patricio Espinoza exposes the cracks in regional administration oversight. The appointment of a figure with orders for restitution of funds due to labor fraud contradicts the official discourse on integrity, suggesting a bureaucratization of impunity where oversight alerts are often ignored by current leadership.

Ultimately, it remains questionable under what criteria of suitability someone who has circumvented the public health system for private gains is hired. While the Audit Office demands the recovery of misappropriated funds, public trust remains damaged in a system that seems to allow scrutiny to slip through amid trusted appointments and administrative silence.