El Ciudadano
Original article: Los números que incomodan a Calisto: $11 millones no declarados ante el Servel vuelven al foco tras arista por presunto soborno a exfiscal Palma
The situation for Senator Miguel Ángel Calisto (Independent) is becoming increasingly precarious. He faces not only accusations of repeated fraud against the treasury stemming from a case dating back to 2022, which the Aysén Regional Prosecutor’s Office has requested 12 years in prison for, but he must also respond to a second criminal investigation initiated by Regional Prosecutor Hernán Libedinsky regarding the alleged bribery of former Aysén prosecutor Carlos Palma. Additionally, an administrative issue has emerged that is gaining significance: the Electoral Service detected over $11 million in undeclared expenses from the senator’s 2025 legislative campaign.
The new criminal angle complicating the congressman’s situation arose from evidence provided by co-defendants and former parliamentary aides Roland Cárcamo and Carla Graf, pertaining to the fraud case. In statements given on April 29 and later confirmed on June 23, both former collaborators indicated potential methods the legislator may have employed to obstruct the investigation against him. Following this information, on May 8, Prosecutor Libedinsky decided to pursue a separate investigation, overseeing each facet of the inquiry himself.
Investigators Probe Senator Calisto’s Alleged $14 Million Payment to Former Prosecutor Carlos Palma
Among the judicial scrutiny points are Cárcamo’s assertions regarding a supposed payment of $14 million that Senator Calisto allegedly made to Palma, who was head of the Aysén Prosecutor’s Office in 2022 when the initial investigation against the former DC member began. As part of this new line of inquiry, the prosecutorial authority will examine banking movements of both the senator and his closest associates to verify or refute the claims from his inner circle. Meanwhile, questions about the former prosecutor’s actions are surfacing once more, as he left his post and faced formal charges in October 2025 for leaking confidential information to lawyer Luis Hermosilla.
According to reports from La Tercera, the testimonies provided by Cárcamo have helped solidify the prosecution’s theory. As presented in various hearings, Graf stated that she did not actually perform legislative advisory functions or tasks related to Calisto’s territorial work in Aysén, but that it was all a façade. The payments she received, according to prosecutor Luis Contreras during the Tuesday session evaluating precautionary measures requested by the senator’s defense, were intended strictly for political purposes.
While this element has strengthened the case against the legislator, the information revealed by Cárcamo has been classified as a serious offense. According to data released by Fast Check, the former aide stated that in 2024, three advisors of the then-deputy paid the $14 million in cash to the former prosecutor Palma to ensure the dismissal of two judicial cases, one of which puts Calisto at risk of a 12-year prison sentence. To disguise the source of these funds, Palma allegedly pretended to provide advisory services to the National Confederation of Health Workers, using a trusted lawyer.
Calisto’s defense has denied having further information on this new process and explained that they first encountered confidentiality regarding the statements mentioned, and when they attempted to present the corresponding sponsorship in this new case, they were informed that the file lacked significant details.
The senator’s lawyer, César Ramos, stated to La Tercera that «these facts are absolutely false«.
Servel Report Raises Questions About Financial Trails, Expense Origins, and Funding Sources
The Servel resolution dated April 9, 2026, provisionally approved Calisto’s electoral account related to the presidential and parliamentary elections of November 2025 with observations. The document, accessed by El Ciudadano, reveals that the candidacy declared income of $31,851,021 and expenses of $31,851,336, however, the electoral body detected undeclared expenses linked to various tax documents—invoices and receipts from multiple providers—that were not included in the electoral accounting submitted.
The Servel report specifies that after validating the tax documents on the Internal Revenue Service (SII) site, it was confirmed that they were received and the consulted data matches what was recorded. The total amount of the undeclared expenses is $11,084,309, corresponding to diverse tax documents issued between August and November 2025 by different suppliers, reflecting services related to campaigning, dissemination, production, and other activities typical of electoral processes.
The resolution by the electoral body states that the source of financing for these expenses was not substantiated, hence the observation must remain in place and the information referred to the Sanctions Procedures Unit, so that they can evaluate the initiation of the necessary actions to determine the source of the expenditure, the effectiveness of the services provided, and any potential liabilities under Law No. 19,884.
The electoral authority requested the candidacy to «send supporting documents that prove the payment of the expenses that were reimbursed» and noted that there were «inconsistencies or omissions in their electoral accounting.
This revelation raises questions about the financial flow, the origin of the expenses, and the source of funding, with no existing link established between the $11 million undeclared with Servel and the $14 million alleged payment to ex-prosecutor Palma. Nevertheless, the resolution from the electoral body gains new relevance following the revelation of the new criminal angle that tightens the noose around the senator.
La entrada Controversial $11 Million Undeclared by Senator Calisto Under Investigation Amid Bribery Allegations se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
🔥 Ver noticia completa en ElCiudadano.cl 🔥
