The Seventh Guarantee Court of Santiago has scheduled a formalization hearing for May 4 at 09:00 hours against the stripped deputy Joaquín Lavín León (former UDI), accused of committing corruption crimes in the Municipality of Maipú during the tenure of his wife, Cathy Barriga, from 2016 to 2021. Less than a week after the Supreme Court notified Lavín León's removal of immunity, the Metropolitan East Prosecutor's Office reported on Friday that he will be charged with fraud against the Treasury, forgery and use of a private commercial instrument, and influence peddling. The prosecutor in charge of the case, Cristóbal Salazar, recalled that "this case arises in the context of the fraud against the Treasury investigated against the former mayor of the Illustrious Municipality of Maipú (Barriga).
In that investigation, various pieces of evidence were found in which the former deputy was involved. " "For this reason, the investigation was separated, and a new one was initiated in which, based on various pieces of evidence, other crimes were confirmed, such as fraud against the Treasury, influence peddling, malicious use of a private commercial instrument, and tax crimes," detailed the prosecutor of High Complexity. In the same hearing, the Public Ministry will formalize charges against other individuals involved in the case, including former parliamentary advisor Arnaldo Domínguez, accused of fraud against the Treasury, influence peddling, aggravated bribery, and tax crimes.
The other defendants will be businessmen Felipe Vásquez and Juan Silva, linked to the issuance—by Lavín León—of false documents, such as receipts and invoices, provided by their respective companies. The Municipality of Maipú, the Internal Revenue Service (SII), and the Council of Defense of the State (CDE) are participating as plaintiffs in the case.