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Original article: “Afecta a la democracia”: CDE se suma a solicitud de prisión preventiva contra Joaquín Lavín León

Arguing that his actions «threaten democracy,» the State Defense Council (CDE) has formally requested preventive detention for former deputy Joaquín Lavín León and his ex-advisor Arnaldo Domínguez.

This request was made during the formalization hearing regarding alleged tax fraud, influence peddling, and the falsification of commercial documents against the former UDI member. In doing so, the agency aligned with the Public Ministry’s position, citing pending proceedings and a genuine risk to institutional integrity that prevents opting for lesser precautionary measures.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the ex-parliamentarian, whose immunity was revoked by the Supreme Court last February, allegedly engaged in a repeated and systematic scheme to divert funds. This includes issuing ideologically false receipts for campaign expenses, creating software allegedly financed with legislative institution funds, and suspected acts of corruption in the Municipality of Maipú while his wife Cathy Barriga served as mayor.

The investigation indicates that a total of 34 false invoices were issued between June 2017 and November 2022. These documents were allegedly produced by two printing companies linked to one of the other defendants, Juan Silva Morales, and directed to the then-legislator through Arnaldo Domínguez’s mediation.

CDE on Lavín León: «Disgraces the Prestige of Public Institutions»

According to the CDE, «the acts under investigation are of extreme seriousness,» stated the agency’s lawyer, Rodrigo Álvarez, to the press, reiterating the need for the most severe precautionary measure given the complexity of the evidence presented during the hearing.

He noted that Lavín León’s alleged actions—which reportedly defrauded the Treasury by over 104 million pesos—have had a significant impact on both institutional and political spheres.

«It causes harm, disrupts the functioning of institutions, threatens democracy, and tarnishes the prestige of public bodies» such as the National Congress, generating considerable damage and reflecting a highly negative criminogenic behavior,» stressed the CDE representative.

He emphasized that all these effects were presented before the court during the hearing to justify the preventive detention request, as reported by Diario U. de Chile.

In his view, no other precautionary measure is adequate «and proportionate to safeguard the objectives of the procedure and protect societal safety and the investigation’s success.”

The CDE maintains that pending procedures and risks still exist for the investigation, necessitating that both ex-deputy Joaquín Lavín León and his former advisor Arnaldo Domínguez remain in preventive detention while the process advances.

La entrada CDE Requests Preventive Detention for Joaquín Lavín León, Citing Threats to Democracy se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.