The Chamber of Deputies approved on Tuesday the constitutional accusation against former Finance Minister Nicolás Grau by 77 votes in favor, 68 against and one abstention. The bill promoted by Republicans and Libertarians will now go to the Senate, which will review it next Tuesday, June 30.
After the vote, Grau addressed the press and thanked the support received. “Despite the result, I am deeply grateful,” he said, and noted that the outcome was tighter than expected. He added that he would go “with the same tranquility and humility” to the Senate, where he insisted that “I have not committed any illicit act.”
Defense lawyer Patricio Zapata spoke for more than five hours in the Chamber. Several right-wing deputies, including four from Renovación Nacional and one from Evópoli, broke with the ruling bloc and voted against. Two deputies from the Partido de la Gente also rejected the bill.
The Frente Amplio expressed its anger at the result. The party president, Constanza Martínez, said that “the lie prevailed” and called on the Senate to reject the accusation responsibly. Senate president Paulina Núñez scheduled the session for 10:30 a.m. on June 30.
