Augusto Silva Silva and Arnaldo Cañas Gonzálezformer counters of the municipality of Vitacura, agreed an agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office to reach an abbreviated procedure in the investigation for corruption crimes, which occurred under the administration of the then mayor, Raúl Torrealba (RN until 2021).
These are two professionals who, after the case exploded, decided to speak and betray the “modus operandi” of the communal chief, in which – according to the investigation – the dome of the building house also participated. That is, the then in charge of the Vita programs, Domingo Prieto Urrejola; the Director of Community Development of the time, Antonia Larraín Prieto; and the right arm of the mayor, Renato Sepúlveda Nebel.
In two statements before the Public Ministry, they revealed how fraud was established within the municipality. A mechanism that included envelopes with cash for Torrealba himself, fees of fees extended to uncles, cousins and couples, in addition to personal loans with which he sought to cover the financial collapse.
The “favors”
According to information collected by BBCL investigate, César Silva Silva and Arnaldo Cañas González declared between August and October 2021 before the regional prosecutor Central Central Norte, Xavier Armendáriz. In their alocciones they said they were contracts in the municipality for Domingo Prieto. The latter corresponds to one of the collaborators of the Iron Circle of the former mayor, who would end up uncovering the fraud.
According to Cañas, his participation in the events began in 2016, after his performance assigned new functions that involved working in the VitaEmprende program. It was since then that high -ranking officials began to ask for “favors” under the threat of losing their job.
The favors were several.
In his opinion, “one of the most rare and abusive” was that He had to achieve personal loans to cover the financial deficit which was generated in the municipality under the management of Torrealba.
In total, between 2016 and 2020, it had to request almost a dozen loans and refinancing.
“Over time these demands were intensified. They began greater pressures to get money, mostly to be taken to the municipality as they pointed out, also to contribute to the current accounts of the Vita programs (Vitadeportes, Local Sports Council, VitaEmprende) or to pay debts of these institutions,” Cañas attest.
The envelopes
According to his testimony, to be able to pay the fees of these personal loans, from the municipality they demanded that he look for other professionals. The goal? That they issued fees for services that were never provided and thus give appearance of legality to disbursements that, in reality, went to the reeds itself so that it could be updated.
“These people were my partner, from 2008 to date, some friends and cousins, a cousin of my lady; also a cousin and a relative of her. Also my brother -in -law, who is married to my sister; and my brother, although I was reluctant,” he explained.
“Many times I wanted to get out of this situation, I did not like to compromise third parties who were only looking for a favor whose detail did not even understand, but I needed my income. For those years, since 2018 I believe, I started with fainting in the street and the idea began to settle among the doctors that I could have a brain tumor. I was very pressured by the high amounts of the loans and for my illness,” he launched.
The fourth floor of Torrealba
But, until he was fired in 2020, Cañas did not get out of the framework. He even said to the Prosecutor’s Office, he delivered envelopes with cash, between $ 5 and $ 20 million to Sunday Prieto or Renato Sepúlveda. The latter corresponds to one of the founders of National Renewal, who – as this media revealed – used municipal funds to travel with Torrealba and other personnel to electoral acts of candidates for deputies and senators of Chile Vamos. Both Sepúlveda, as Prieto and Larraín, according to the investigation, were responsible for receiving the envelopes with cash and giving them to Torrealba.
“Don Renato did weekly meetings in Dideco in which he requested that we take more cash from organizations, money that were variable depending on what Don Renato indicated (…) we also asked us 2017 asked us to deliver $ 20 million for a holiday in December, ”he continued.
“On one occasion, Antonia [Larraín] He told me to go up with the envelopes to the fourth floor, where the mayor’s office was located, since she was there. We got together in the hall, I delivered the envelopes and, then, she entered the mayor’s office, and after three minutes, he goes back to the hall, already without the envelopes in his hands, thanking me for the management. In fact, The envelopes gave them in a disguised way, behind a pillar, so that no one saw it ”Cañas sentenced.
Without translucent
Augusto Silva told a similar story. His testimony, yes, delivers more details regarding envelopes with cash. The accountant revealed, for example, that they should be specially prepared to prevent what they contained.
“(La Plata) had to be delivered wrapped by a white sheet and inside a paper envelope, so that it would not be transluked,” he said.
Silva witnessed that as a consequence of the constant money requests, an “accumulated well” (that is, a deficit) that was not reduced was generated. Therefore, he was obliged to try to cover it. He resorted – like reeds – to false tax documentation extended in the name of relatives.
“The pressure was a lot, so I saw myself in the need to (…) Issue electronic fees tickets for Vita Sports of my partner Lorena Baeza, since 2019 and 2020, without their consent. These tickets served to support historical retreats of money,” he launched.
In addition, he acknowledged that during 2011 and 2012 he often had to collect checks to later pass the cash to Domingo Prieto.
“It was introduced into an envelope and closed with Scotch so that no one else would open it. He was going to look for the Office of the Local Sports Council where I gave it to him and if I was not I left it in a safe that was in my second floor office “he said.
On other occasions, he warned, Prieto called him and asked him to go to the Municipality of Vitacura to leave the envelope. “He went to the third floor, he left an office, delivered it in the hall, he took the envelope and left.”
The audience
According to information collected by BBCL investigates, the collaboration of both former officials before the Prosecutor’s Office allowed them to achieve an abbreviated procedure, in which they must accept the positions made by the chief prosecutor of Santiago Centro, Francisco Jacir.
Through a brief admitted by the Persecister, the Public Ministry requested the fourth capital guarantee court, “Prior agreement with the defense”, set an audience for that purpose.
“After a long process, our represented have accepted an abbreviated procedure. For this a series of circumstances were weighted, fundamentally the need to close this bitter chapter in their lives. My represented, unlike other accused, they did not benefit personally, they did not stay with a single weight. On the contrary, they put money from their own pocket for the Vita, money that is still owed to them,” says Marcos Contreras.
According to the lawyer, they were “the last links of the chain and could not bear the pressures of their superiors when they asked for money under different excuses.”
“With their collaboration from the first one the first day, they were the ones who allowed to establish in the investigation the details that are known today,” he says.
Thus, the Court scheduled the appointment for May 22, 2025, at 11:00 hours.
