SANTIAGO.- The Chilean justice system ordered this preventive detention for alleged corruption crimes against Daniel Jadue, former presidential candidate and one of the leading figures of the Communist Partythe party that makes up the government coalition.
Jadue, mayor of the municipality of Recoleta, in the north of Santiago, was accused of bribery, unfair administration, treasury fraud and fraud in the administration of the so-called “Popular Pharmacies”, which he promoted as competition for commercial chains.
Judge Paulina Moya ruled preventive detention, estimating that Jadue’s freedom “is dangerous for the security of society”, in line with what was requested by the Prosecutor’s Office.
“They judge me for our transformative management. There is not a single peso in my pocket, but they give me the maximum precautionary measure. We will appeal to this disproportionate measure!” Jadue reacted, in his X account.
The mayor’s defense, which can appeal the decision to the Court of Appeals, maintains that the case is part of a political persecution.
Jadue is one of the most prominent figures in the Communist Party of Chilewhich is part of the government coalition of president Gabriel Boric.
However, the mayor is a strong critic of the president, who defeated him in a primary election in July 2021.
Before delivering the precautionary measure, Judge Moya stated that the court “does not take into account political affiliations or ideologies to make its decision.”
The Prosecutor’s Office accuses Jadue for his actions at the head of the Chilean Association of Municipalities with Popular Pharmacies (Achifarp), created by the mayor in 2016 to offer medicines at a lower cost.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical supplies were purchased and ended up in storage. One of the suppliers filed a lawsuit for a debt of almost a million dollars and accused Jadue of asking him to deliver supplies to the Communist Party as payment for winning the tender, among other illicit acts.
The Prosecutor’s Office argued that when the mayor was a presidential candidate in 2021 “it was necessary to cover up all the fraudulent actions” of the popular pharmacies, since “his political career” could be distorted by poor management.
Source: With information from AFP
