The presidential candidate of the Progressive Party (PRO), Marco Enriquez-Ominami, described as “forceful” the ruling that acquitted him of the crime of fraud against the Treasury in the context of the OAS case. “Seven years ago I said I was innocent,” ME-O said.
“The ruling was resounding. There were inaccuracies and a lack of rigour. Justice is or is not, and today justice spoke. On behalf of those who suffer the most in Chile, I will continue to fight. I am now freer than ever to continue fighting for social justice. The hope of a people is threatened, and I will be there,” the former deputy said.
According to the verdict of the Fourth Oral Criminal Court of Santiago, the Attorney General’s Office could not prove the subsidy fraud it accused Enríquez-Ominami of for his 2013 presidential campaign.
Prosecutors charged that the PRO leader had given up more money than he spent in his campaign, receiving a refund of electoral expenses from servel based on false records.
However, the court ruled for ME-O’s former right-hand man, Christian Warner, for tax offenses.
“Let no one else pass this, ever. Greetings to Cristian Warner, who will win in the higher instances (…) He’s a decent man, an entrepreneur. He will be acquitted where appropriate in the appropriate higher courts,” the presidential candidate said.
Regarding the New Social Pact (formerly the Constituent Unity), he said: “To those who were allies of mine, they said nothing when the TC and when the institutions said that it was an aberration to condemn me without trial. To you who were my allies until three days ago: we are still going to have to find ourselves for a fairer country. It’s with everyone. As one man said, go ahead with all the forces of history.”
He also proposed “a common program” to the presidential candidate of the New Social Pact, Yasna Provoste (DC) and the standard-bearer of A aprueba Dignidad, Gabriel Boric (CS), adding that “they are not my adversaries.”
“I promise that, in the second round, whoever passes from the opposition will have my support. My real adversary is candidate Sichel, who wants to confiscate the hope of a people,” he concluded.
