Moving On Empty
CHILE
Chile’s lower house of parliament voted to impeach President Sebastian Pinera over corruption allegations that sprung from the Pandora paper leaks, Agence France-Presse reported Tuesday.
Lawmakers approved the impeachment proceedings, which will now move to the upper house. However, it’s unclear whether Pinera will go to trial since the opposition only has 24 of the 29 votes needed to remove the president, the Associated Press noted.
The call for impeachment began last month when the Pandora papers – a vast trove of reports on the hidden wealth of world leaders, top business folks and celebrities – linked Pinera to the sale of the Dominga mine for $152 million through a company owned by his children.
The sale took place in 2010 during Pinera’s first term as president. It also included a controversial clause that made the final payment of the sale conditional on “not establishing an area of environmental protection in the area of operations of the mining company, as demanded by environmental groups.”
Pinera, one of Chile’s richest people, has denied any wrongdoing and said that a court absolved him of responsibility in a 2017 investigation.
Even so, he is barred from leaving the country while the impeachment process continues, according to AFP.
The impeachment vote comes just ahead of Chile’s general elections slated for Nov. 21. Under Chile’s constitution, Pinera is not allowed to run for another term.
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