As a defendant, former President Sebastián Piñera is testifying before the Central North High Complexity prosecutor, Ximena Chong, as a result of the investigation for crimes against humanity that occurred in the context of the social outbreak.
This is the second time that Piñera testifies in an investigation for crimes against humanity after the October 2019 demonstrations. In July 2021La Moneda confirmed that the then Head of State testified before the regional prosecutor Claudia Perivancich, in a case that the Public Ministry later reassigned to prosecutor Xavier Armendáriz.
Yesterday, the interrogation began in the office of the ex-president located in the Vitacura commune, and follows the complaints filed against him by former senator Alejandro Navarro and organizations set up in the framework of complaints of human rights violations committed by agents of the State during the social revolt that occurred almost four years ago.
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The ex-president will be required as a witness in another of the edges that the current head of High Complexity Center North is processing, and that is related to the responsibility of the command of Carabineros in pressures, injuries and torture committed by the uniformed institution.
To this are added the statements of other ex-authorities during his government, who already gave their respective testimony a few days ago. They are the former Ministers of the Interior, Andrés Chadwick and Gonzalo Blumel; and the undersecretary of the portfolio, Juan Francisco Galli.
On March 31, the former Secretary of State, Andrés Chadwick, answered a total of 132 questions about communication with the Carabineros and the ammunition used by police officers during the demonstrations of the social outbreak.
In this sense, regarding whether or not he was aware of the results that the Carabineros commissioned on the content of the ammunition used in the riot guns, he stated that “no. I always assumed and understood that the ammunition, as always pointed out, was made of rubber. The general did not inform me of anything previously, I learned the results from the media.”
Sebastián Piñera’s statement continues this Wednesday, after a dialogue of more than 10 hours. After concluding the first part of the extensive interrogation in the former president’s office, prosecutor Chong described how the interrogation took place and explained that “there was no reluctance to answer any of the questions that we asked. We brought a questionnaire prepared, taking into account the background information gathered so far in the investigation”.
Asked about the former president’s participation in the procedure, prosecutor Chong told the press that “indeed, the former president did not make use of his right to remain silent in relation to any of the questions we asked him.”
“The former president was accompanied by three of his trusted defense lawyers and in the last hours, starting at 11:30 p.m., he was reviewing the text of his statement and taking into account the length of the day, we decided to continue tomorrow (Wednesday). , during the afternoon so that I could conclude this review and make the corrections to the text that will go into the investigative folder”, assured the head of High Complexity Center North, Ximena Chong.
For his part, one of the defenders who accompanied Sebastián Piñera, the lawyer Samuel Donoso, indicated that the former president’s statement “is part of what his spirit has been in this cause, which is to collaborate in everything that the prosecutor’s office determines.”
“We are convinced that acting in those very complex days that were after the social outbreak, the actions of the Government were always framed within two great points: the control of public order necessary for the country was produced, but always framed within of respect for human rights”, concluded Donoso.
