Mayor of the Chilean commune of Recoleta, Daniel Jadue. File photo.
The mayor of the Chilean commune Recoleta, Daniel Jadue, faces serious accusations and a court has ordered his “preventive detention” in a case that is being referred to as “lawfare.”
Daniel Jadue has been a member of Chile’s Communist Party since 1993. In 2021, he founded the Apruebo Dignidad (“approve dignity” in English) electoral coalition. That year, he ran as presidential candidate for the coalition in its primaries but finished second to Chile’s current president, Gabriel Boric.
The accusations against the Chilean mayor date back to the case of Popular Pharmacies, a project promoted during the COVID-19 pandemic by the Municipality of Recoleta that offered low-cost medicines in several communes in the country.
In this case, the company Best Quality and the State Defense Council are accusing Daniel Jadue of embezzling funds, hiding assets, generating million-dollar debts, and misuse of medical supplies during the pandemic.
In the midst of this investigation, the Third Guarantee Court decreed the preventive detention of the mayor of Recoleta after agreeing to the request of the North Central Prosecutor’s Office, which considers Jadue a danger to society.
🛑 CASO FARMACIAS POPULARES EN CHILE: Son 120 días de investigación y la justicia chilena estimó que el Alcalde comunista Daniel Jadue era un peligro para la sociedad, por eso decretó prisión preventiva en un recinto carcelario. Una medida cautelar desmedida, afirman desde… pic.twitter.com/YY9IGY3qc8
— Pao Dragnic (@PaolaDragnic) June 3, 2024
Jadue is accused of disloyal administration, fraud, bribery, bankruptcy crime and treasury fraud during his management of the Chilean Association of Municipalities with Popular Pharmacies (ACHIFARP), of which he was president.
As a result, Jadue will be held in the Capitán Yáber prison while the 120 days of the investigative period elapse.
Despite the accusations, Daniel Jadue has maintained his innocence and has indicated that it is an attack on his transformative management and his way of understanding municipalism. On his social media accounts, he has stated that he did not collect any illicit earnings and that he will appeal to what he considers a disproportionate measure.
For his part, Jadue’s defense lawyer, Ramón Sepúlveda, reaffirmed the appeal and criticized the court for “accrediting facts without precedent,” an action that he described as very serious.
Que se escuche fuerte y claro!!!
Jadue es inocente
UNÁMONOS con este hashtag #TodosSomosJadue pic.twitter.com/oyWWFKKpYe— La Rebelión llegó #TodosSomosJadue (@BloqueAntifa) June 3, 2024
It is expected that this week, the defense of Mayor Daniel Jadue will file an appeal before the Court of Appeals of Santiago to request that the ruling of the judge be reversed.
Why is this considered a case of lawfare?
Judge Paulina Moya justified the application of the precautionary detention of Jadue because he was deemed to be “dangerous for the security of society.”
Additionally, she alleged that the court did not consider “political affiliations or ideologies in making its decision.” However, there are elements that make it evident that there is a “lawfare” case against the Chilean mayor.
There are many indications that the charges constitute a political strategy to prevent Daniel Jadue from running for president again in the future.
This Sunday, polls in Chile showed that Jadue, whose name was absent from any polls for one year, is the third most-popular option on the left in terms of a future presidency.
Another suspicious aspect is that Judge Moya claimed that there was a risk of Jadue reoffending if he remained free. But, to date, he has not been convicted of any crime; therefore, he cannot very well repeat any offences.
Uno de los abogados querellantes dice que no hay pruebas!!! Es lo que hemos sostenido y evidenciaremos en nuestra defensa. Aquí se expresa con claridad que estamos ante suposiciones e interpretaciones muy alejadas de la realidad! pic.twitter.com/NbSueRA355
— Daniel Jadue (@danieljadue) May 30, 2024
In addition to this, the plaintiff lawyer acknowledged that there is no evidence against Jadue, only “founded presumptions of participation” of Mayor Jadue and the accused in the crimes.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón with Orinoco Tribune
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/KW/SL
