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El Ciudadano

Original article: Revelan declaración de Álvaro Jalaff en la que admite pago de coima de $410 millones a Hermosilla por Parque Capital

Bribery, WhatsApp, and Meetings at the Minister’s Home: Jalaff’s Statement on Luis Hermosilla and Implications for Felipe Ward

A recent court statement from Álvaro Jalaff, obtained by Mega Investiga, reveals that he admitted to the Metropolitan Prosecutor’s Office that he paid Luis Hermosilla the equivalent of 10,000 UF—approximately $410 million—for his efforts to advance the Parque Capital real estate project, mostly in cash and without any supporting documentation, as reported by Mega.cl on June 19.

In his statement given on June 4, Jalaff indicated: «I paid Luis Hermosilla a total equivalent to 10,000 UF to unblocking the Parque Capital project. Of those, approximately 6,000 UF were given in cash, and the remaining 4,000 UF were compensated against a debt he had with Factop.» He further added a critical detail: «No documentation was issued to support that payment, such as payment receipts or invoices,» according to Mega.cl in their exclusive coverage.

The businessman justified Hermosilla’s hiring by emphasizing his connections to relevant authorities at the time: «I believed that Luis’s professional reputation and especially his good relationship with various government officials could help resolve issues with the Parque Capital project; in fact, this was the main reason for hiring him, his good contacts with the different public authorities.»

Jalaff confirmed that he was aware that Hermosilla was a lawyer for the Ministry of the Interior and that he «had direct phone contact with various authorities from the Police, Government, Courts, and the Prosecutor’s Office.»

One of the more troubling aspects of Jalaff’s declaration is his acknowledgment of the illegality of his actions: «I acknowledge that, over time and knowing the facts under investigation in this case, I became aware that Luis was a public official at the time, and what I requested from him for which I paid constituted a crime.» Furthermore, he recounted how Hermosilla assured him that he would resolve «all the different legal and administrative barriers that had halted the Parque Capital project at the Seremi,» and that «by mid-2019, there was a significant change in the Seremi’s criteria, coinciding with what Luis had told me earlier.»

The statement also implicates the former Minister of Housing, Felipe Ward (UDI). Jalaff asserted that Hermosilla claimed to be «very close to the minister and that he was already in contact with him regarding the Parque Capital issue,» and even «showed me some of the WhatsApp messages exchanged with Mr. Ward so that I could confirm that he was indeed in direct contact with him.» According to Jalaff, «two meetings were held, one at Luis’s office and another at the minister’s house.» This Monday, both Hermosilla and Jalaff will face reformalization in this case, which Mega.cl has closely followed since its inception.

La entrada Álvaro Jalaff Admits to Paying $410 Million Bribe to Luis Hermosilla for Parque Capital Project se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.