translated from Spanish: Megafraud in the Army: institution admits there were illegals but asks to review case by case and from Congress they call defense

It was only on Tuesday that the Army issued a pronouncement after news broke that the Regional Prosecutor of Aysén, Carlos Palma, enlisted the formalization of almost 800 active and retreating officials for fraud to the taxa within the IV Aysén Division, for a sum amounting to about 3 billion pesos.
Through a public statement, the Castrense institution noted that this is a “broad” investigation and that procedures that conform to the legality of unlawful conduct must be differentiated, so it called for a case-by-case review. In addition, it indicated that it would take sanctions against those involved only when there was a conviction involved.
“It is pertinent to reiterate that the Chilean Army does not accept or endorse conduct involving the commission of wrongdoing, however, it is important to keep in mind that in an investigation as broad as that known these days, each particular situation is different from the others, hoping that it will distinguish itself in the course of the investigation between those cases in which the contracted services and service commissions were actually provided and carried out , those removed from legality,” the Castrense text raised.
He added that “the Chilean Army, aware of what it has had to face in matters of probity in recent years, has implemented a Crime Prevention System during 2019 that goes beyond collaboration with judicial bodies and compliance with its court rulings. This has involved training its members of all grades, delivering instructional material and conducting preventive inspections in charge of its Internal Contraloy.”
He further argued that there are officers and non-commissioned officers who are in charge, “however, this does not imply any prejudgation, to the extent that there is no judicial decision yet, to the extent that there is no judicial decision establishing its responsibility for the facts under investigation.”
At the same point in the statement, he noted that “it should be recalled that, in our rule of law, it is the courts called upon to rule on the claims and accusations of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the defences submitted by the accused, on the merits of the evidence provided. In the event of any conviction, the Chilean Army shall adopt the appropriate resolutions, in accordance with the responsibilities determined in each case”.
Similarly, the Castrense institution assured that it instructed two summary investigations and that all the records were handed over to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. In a clear call to de-armor responsibilities, according to the Army, “it will be up to the authorities during that period (2008 and 2016) who had interference in the implementation of these measures, to explain them to the investigating body”.
The “Cutufa of Aysén”
The investigation accounts for the existence of a Mutual Aid Fund, a private informal aid mechanism in Aysén based on voluntary savings from Army officials. In breaking this fund, called ‘Cutufa de Aysén’, ‘it is the Army itself that begins to compensate, to compensate, to compensate for the private losses of publicly funded officers and personnel, of the tax office, of the military budget and there is the illegality, fraud to the tax office”, said Mr Leonardo Soto (PS).
According to the newspaper El Mercurio, in the investigation covering staff of the IV Aysén Division, the Public Prosecutor’s Office concluded that the repayment of the money of the NCOs was made with Army funds through various mechanisms, such as payments for services that were not made, financing studies and travel.
Explanations of Defense
Following the Army’s explanations, Deputy Member of the Defence Commission, Jorge Brito (RD), directly employed the Ministry of Defence.
“It’s a long way from the Ministry of Defense. The Army has acknowledged acts outside the legality, said that some measures have been taken, which we hope to know in detail when the commander-in-chief attends the Defence Committee,” the parliamentarian departed.
Brito then pointed to current portfolio holder Baldo Prokurica, stating that “it is worrying to us that the current defense minister has not issued any statements and Minister Desbordes has left office launched just hours after the news was made public.”
“It is important that the Ministry Defense to take care of the problem (…) we urge that all internal and Ministry of Defence mechanisms be adopted so that these facts do not happen again,” he concluded.
 
Review the Army statement here

Original source in Spanish