Former Deputy Gabriel Silber has informed prosecutors that there was no car trading business used to justify money transfers to Gonzalo Migueles, the partner of former minister Ángela Vivanco.
In his recent testimony before investigators, Silber dismissed the version provided by Eduardo Lagos as a "fictitious narrative." The former lawmaker maintains that the explanation is an attempt to "give an appearance of legitimacy to operations that must be analyzed on their own merits."
Lagos's defense had suggested that payments totaling $45,000,000 to Migueles were part of an initiative to recover vehicles. However, Silber detailed that the project only ever reached a "strictly preliminary, exploratory, and pre-contractual phase."
According to the defendant, the proposal consisted of a theoretical evaluation to cross-reference impound lot data with BCI Seguros records. “No payments were ever made to third parties or to Mr. Migueles as part of this venture,” clarified Silber, who was a former business partner of Lagos and Mario Vargas.
Payments to Aldo Cornejo
During his appearance, Silber also revealed that former lawmaker Aldo Cornejo allegedly received payments for lobbying efforts related to the Belaz Movitec case against Codelco.
While he stated he did not know the exact amount, the former deputy confirmed that these disbursements took place. “I know that Eduardo Lagos asked him to carry out some lobbying efforts, one of which was approaching Máximo Pacheco,” he told the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Silber added that he lacks details regarding other activities because Lagos was "very secretive" about the tasks he assigned to his lawyers. Regarding Cornejo's absence from the legal representation in the CMB-Codelco case, the former lawmaker noted that Cornejo does not practice litigation.
