The governor of La Araucanía, René Saffirio, handed over an external audit report to prosecutors revealing irregularities in ex-Governor Luciano Rivas' management. The document uncovers $79 million unaccounted for and $756 million in assets not transferred during 2022-2024. Saffirio accused an organized crime structure behind the anomalies.
René Saffirio, governor of the La Araucanía Region, delivered on Wednesday to the local Fiscalía an external audit report commissioned to the consultancy Fortunato y Asociados. This evaluation covers the budgetary execution of the Regional Government (GORE) during the 2022-2024 period, when Luciano Rivas served as the top authority.
The report, published in the GORE's Transparency section, details $79 million unaccounted for and $756 million in properties and assets not transferred to their recipients. Rivas, an independent who ran in 2021 under Evópoli's banner, is an imputado in the Convenios case branch. The Public Ministry is investigating agreements signed by the GORE with the Fundación Capacitación y Formación Laboral (Folab) and Fundación Educacional y Capacitación (Educc) for $730.240.000.
The case led to the desafuero of deputy Mauricio Ojeda (independent, elected under Republicans' slot), who is in preventive prison for tax fraud. It also implicates Rivas' cabinet chief, Juan Pablo Leonelli, under the same precautionary measure.
In a press point after the delivery, Saffirio stated: “What has happened is not casual. There has been a public structure used to defraud (...) There is organized crime here, this does not happen by chance, many people are involved”. He accused Rivas of delegating document signing to other officials to gain impunity in administrative acts that defrauded the GORE.
He added: “There is a notable abandonment of duties and a deliberate intention to occupy the La Araucanía Regional Government until 2024 with the logic of defrauding, affecting the patrimony that belongs to all the region's inhabitants”.