Santiago prosecutors have formally charged former UDI deputy Joaquín Lavín León with fraud against the state, influence peddling, and the falsification of private commercial instruments. The proceedings began Monday morning at the Seventh Guarantee Court of Santiago, overseen by Judge Daniel Urrutia.
Prosecutor Constanza Encina of the Santiago Metropolitan East Prosecutor's Office presented charges alleging that Lavín León orchestrated a series of maneuvers to defraud the public treasury of more than $130 million pesos. The investigation focuses on the irregular use of parliamentary allowances to fund political activities and the operation of a digital marketing platform.
According to reports from La Tercera, the prosecution seeks to impose pretrial detention against Lavín León, who is also the spouse of former Maipú Mayor Cathy Barriga. The legal action is supported by several complainants, including the State Defense Council (CDE) and the Municipality of Maipú.
The SocialTazk Scheme
The investigation centers on the use of parliamentary funds to finance 'SocialTazk,' a political marketing platform used for managing databases and sending mass text messages during electoral campaigns. El Mostrador reported that this 'entrepreneurship' was developed by Lavín León alongside Felipe Vásquez Diéguez, a former parliamentary advisor.
Prosecutors allege that parliamentary staff members used their official working hours between 2020 and 2021 to validate databases and conduct electoral phone calls for UDI candidates. This work was billed to the state through 'Modo 74,' the commercial name for SocialTazk, under the guise of 'database administration and sanitization' and 'information storage platform rental.'
El Mostrador noted that the structure of this operation was previously revealed through investigative reporting by the outlet's investigative unit. The prosecution estimates that fraudulent reimbursements specifically related to SocialTazk account for approximately $91,697,142 of the total alleged fraud.
Additional charges against Lavín León include the submission of fraudulent expense reports to Congress to cover debts from past election campaigns. The prosecution also alleges the issuance of ideologically false invoices and the hiring of officials for non-parliamentary duties.
The hearing, which is expected to last three days, faced an initial delay because Felipe Vásquez Diégues, a former advisor to Lavín, did not appear in court as he is currently in Spain. In response, prosecutor Constanza Encina requested an extradition order for Vásquez, identifying him as a central figure in the alleged corruption scheme, according to La Tercera.
As the first day of the hearing concluded, the prosecution had only communicated the specific charges. The court is scheduled to resume Tuesday morning to address requested precautionary measures and allow the defense to respond to the prosecution's claims.
