El Ciudadano
Original article: “No está en condiciones de representar al país”: Gajardo le pone presión a Kast por insistir con Zaliasnik en Israel
Gajardo Challenges Kast’s Choice of Zaliasnik for Chile’s Ambassador to Israel, Claims Ineligibility
Former prosecutor Carlos Gajardo has put pressure on President José Antonio Kast over the nomination of Gabriel Zaliasnik as Chile’s new ambassador to Israel, arguing that the lawyer «is not fit to represent the country» due to serious allegations against him.
It is important to recall that the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Valparaíso accepted a complaint filed by Deputy Daniel Manouchehri (PS) and Senator Daniella Cicardini (PS) against Zaliasnik, following the emergence of conversations involving defense attorney Luis Hermosilla, who is entangled in the Audio case.
The legal documents point to potential crimes including misappropriation of public funds, tax fraud, incompatible negotiations, influence peddling, and illegal interception of communications. Concurrently, various investigations published by Reportea have revealed that the lawyer was involved in the appointment of several judges who later did not recuse themselves from cases of interest to him. In light of this complicated situation, Kast’s administration has opted for a staunch defense of their appointed ambassador to Israel.
In an interview on Radioanalisis at Radio U. de Chile, Gajardo stressed that the behavior attributed to the lawyer bears a «strong resemblance» to that of the controversial Luis Hermosilla, which should prompt the government to reconsider his nomination.
According to the former prosecutor, it is not a one-time occurrence, but a recurring pattern where Zaliasnik allegedly attempted to «favor different appointments of Appeals Court and Supreme Court ministers in ten instances.»
Gajardo elaborated on his critique by revealing that the lawyer not only interfered in judicial selection processes, but allegedly «argued in more than a dozen instances before those very ministers« with whom he maintained a «special closeness.» This situation, according to the attorney, presents an ethical incompatibility that transcends mere legality and damages the credibility of Chile’s diplomatic representation abroad.
One of the most controversial points raised by Gajardo was his criticism of the “excessive deference” shown by the Public Ministry, pointing out that the chats between Zaliasnik and Hermosilla were already in the hands of prosecutors long before the investigation was made public.
«A journalist accessed this information and chose to publish it, and only from that point did the formal investigation begin,» he noted.
«The only conclusion one can draw is that the Prosecutor’s Office has exhibited excessive deference towards individuals under investigation because they are part of the same system,» he accused.
Gajardo went further by comparing the situation to other recent investigations, recalling that «in these cases, former prosecutors of the Public Ministry, particularly Manuel Guerra, or former Supreme Court ministers like Ángela Vivanco, have been in preventive detention.»
In his view, this discrepancy reveals «a certain reverential fear of these investigations» that violates «the principle of equality before the law.»
«The events occurred, those communications exist, and no one has denied them»
The government’s response has been to maintain its support for the lawyer, arguing that the presumption of innocence will be upheld and that the results of the judicial investigation will be awaited. However, Gajardo firmly rejected this stance, asserting that «what the Public Ministry does pertains to the criminal responsibility of the accused, but another matter must be evaluated here.» The ex-prosecutor insists that the standard for a diplomatic position must be more demanding than mere legal compliance, stating that «with what is already known, regardless of it being a crime or not, it is extraordinarily serious.»
Gajardo’s remarks create a complex scenario for Kast himself, who has insisted on upholding the nomination despite the criticisms. The former prosecutor underscored that «the events occurred, those communications exist, and no one has denied them, not even the lawyer himself (…) and they are serious enough for the government to make an obvious decision: the individual is not fit to represent the country before a foreign state,» he emphasized in an interview.
The lingering question is whether the government will maintain its position or if growing political and media pressure will force a reconsideration of a nomination that, according to influential voices in the judicial sector like the former prosecutor, is already irreparably tainted.
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