Original article: Juan Andrés Lagos (PC) y el giro del caso: «Los protagónicos de la acusación contra Jadue ahora están formalizados» por la «muñeca bielorrusa»
Journalist and national leader of the Communist Party of Chile (PC), Juan Andrés Lagos, addressed the recent arrest and formal charges—related to the «Belarusian Doll» scandal—against attorneys Mario Vargas and Eduardo Lagos, who have acted as plaintiffs in the «popular pharmacies» case against former Recoleta mayor, Daniel Jadue.
«These two lawyers play a central role in the accusations which are heavily supported by the Prosecutor’s Office. That is the serious part; it gives a lot of backing to the accusation,» Lagos stated this Monday during an interview with La Mañanera, a program hosted by Javier Pineda Olcay, director of El Ciudadano.
The two lawyers, along with businessman Gonzalo Migueles—husband of former Supreme Court minister Ángela Vivanco—are facing charges in the Seventh Guarantee Court in Santiago for crimes including influence peddling, bribery, and money laundering.
Eduardo Lagos and Mario Vargas Cociña were responsible for filing a controversial protective writ against Codelco at the Court of Appeals in Copiapó in February 2023 as part of the «Belarusian Doll» litigation, which allegedly resulted in a $20 million loss for Codelco in their dispute with the Chilean-Belarusian consortium, Belaz Movitec SpA (CBM).
The two lawyers are accused of having engaged in a series of illicit activities involving irregular payments made to Migueles in exchange for influence from former minister Vivanco in favor of CBM.
Juan Andrés Lagos pointed out that these «same lawyers represent the companies that are accusing Daniel Jadue, and those companies are linked to the lucrative pharmaceutical business.»
«What they are aiming for is to hit hard and decisively in order to remove Daniel Jadue from social and political community life because they view him as a significant threat,» he asserted.
The PC leader recalled that Prosecutor Giovanna Herrera, who is leading this process, stated in court that «the great sin committed by Daniel Jadue, according to her, is that he tried to intervene in the market.»
«So one wonders, where is all of this headed? Well, it is evident. What is being sought is, through judicial means, to stigmatize, sanction, and punish a person who, as noted by Felipe Alessandri, a right-wing mayor (of Lo Barnechea) from Renovación Nacional, is being punished and had his constitutional rights taken away. He literally said this about a mayor who has made a true social revolution for the people, particularly regarding popular pharmacies and affordable eyeglasses, and on the overall issue of medications, which are extremely expensive in this country,» Lagos commented.
He emphasized that with his Popular Pharmacies project, the former mayor of Recoleta adversely impacted the interests of the pharmaceutical industry.
«There are elderly people spending between 40% and 60% of their meager incomes on medications. When Daniel did what he did as mayor and it spread across the country, he was indeed affecting the profits of these companies that, as the prosecutor indicates, would be representing the legitimacy of the market,» the journalist stressed.
Regarding the arrest and formal charges against Mario Vargas and Eduardo Lagos, he suggested that they chose to turn themselves in at the OS-7 facilities of the Carabineros because the evidence was overwhelming, leaving them no choice but to surrender.
«I don’t believe they decided to turn themselves in on their own accord; I think there was an operation here, and what is being sought is to remove them from the spotlight because it is clear that these lawyers, who have been part of this type of trickery, embezzlement, and abuse of power networks, are prominently involved in the accusations against Daniel Jadue. They undoubtedly want them off the stage. But look at how it happened; they are now in jail,» he emphasized.
According to Juan Andrés Lagos, this represents a major crisis in the justice administration.
«One of the clearest expressions of this profound crisis, in form and substance, within the justice administration in Chile, is what is occurring with Daniel Jadue,» he asserted.
Constitutional Accusation Against Ulloa and Questions Regarding the Highest Powers in Justice
During his conversation with La Mañanera, the PC leader was also questioned about the Senate’s decision to remove Antonio Ulloa from the Judiciary following his suspension from the Court of Appeals in Santiago. This is based on a constitutional accusation approved by a broad majority of 141 votes in favor in the Chamber of Deputies.
In this political trial—presided over by Deputy Daniel Manouchehri (PS)—Ulloa is accused of notable dereliction of duties for shortcomings that occurred after sharing a series of tribunal resolutions with Hermosilla and for exerting influence over judicial appointments.
Lagos highlighted that the PC supports his removal emphatically.
«Now we will see how those who claim transparency and accountability of those responsible for big businesses behave. We will see how they act because it is in these specific cases that the true power networks emerge,» he indicated.
«I regret to say it, but Parliament is not an institution in Chile unblemished by these power networks. There have been serious situations regarding legislative projects and laws, like the fisheries issue and others, where these networks have operated in a shameful manner favoring large businesses. Chile is a country where the rule of law operates largely to benefit these large businesses. If the rule of law exists, that’s true, the problem is that it works in favor of the big companies,» he pointed out.
He stated that the constitutional accusation against Minister Ulloa implies, «in both form and substance, a very severe questioning of how the highest powers in the justice administration operate in Chile.»
«Right-Wing Candidates are Unruly and Highly Aggressive»
In the interview with La Mañanera, El Ciudadano director Javier Pineda Olcay asked Juan Andrés Lagos for his expectations regarding the presidential debate organized by the National Association of Television (Anatel), which will be the last for the eight candidates before the elections on Sunday, November 16.
The Communist Party leader observed that the current political scenario gives the impression that «right-wing candidates are unruly; they are very violent.»
«I don’t know if they are aware of the real Chile. They are very unleashed because I believe there is a rivalry among those candidates that drives them to be very, metaphorically speaking, cannibalistic. This is historic in the Chilean right. I hope the forum can focus on allowing the public to understand the proposals and plans that each candidate presents regarding the major issues facing Chilean society, which are not few,» he stated.
«In this regard, I believe that the space for a candidacy like Jeannette Jara’s (Unidad por Chile) is crucial because, if we look at the debates, Jara has attempted to put forth proposals without getting caught up in back-and-forth arguments. Of course, some citizens enjoy that style as well; I respect that, I have participated in spaces rich in that, but the truth is, to choose a presidential candidate for the country’s future, you need to have at least a clear understanding of their proposals on sensitive matters such as health, housing, education, salary, and the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking. These are areas where Janet Jara has been steadily making progress with concrete proposals,» he asserted.
Lagos expressed a desire for other candidates to also attempt to address these issues, as «that is what the public cares about and is interested in.»
In the episode of La Mañanera on Monday, November 10, our director also spoke with social and political activist Giovanna Grandón, known as «Aunt Pikachu.»
You can watch the full program below:
