|  ElCiudadano.cl |  Noticias

El Ciudadano

Original article: “La Moneda no es su fundo”: almuerzo de Kast contó con garzones y cocineros de Palacio

Kast’s Lunch with Former College Peers Sparks Controversy Over Public Resource Use

Arguing that «La Moneda is not a private estate«, Congressman Daniel Manouchehri and Senator Daniella Cicardini, both from the Socialist Party, submitted a formal request to the General Comptroller of the Republic to investigate the potential misuse of public resources during a lunch hosted by José Antonio Kast and former classmates from the Catholic University, held at the Government Palace.

The gathering between the President and around 70 members of the 1984 law school cohort took place last Friday and employed waitstaff and cooks from the Palace.

According to The Clinic, citing various sources from La Moneda, the staff were responsible for serving and attending to Kast’s guests and the First Lady, María Pía Adriasola. The menu included beef brisket with spicy mashed potatoes and candied tomatoes or eggplant lasagna as a vegetarian option, accompanied by berry pavlova for dessert and wines.

The Government stated that no public funds were used and that the meal was financed by the President’s personal resources, but that assistance from the Palace’s waiters and cooks was requested.

«La Moneda is not a private estate»

With supporting evidence from photos and media reports about the social event taking place in Palace halls during work hours, with official menu, institutional staff service, and guest participation, Manouchehri and Cicardini issued their request to the Comptroller to investigate and determine if the principle of administrative integrity was violated and if public property was used for non-institutional purposes.

According to the parliamentarians, the issue is not that President Kast met with former college classmates, but that a private celebration was organized and held in La Moneda, involving waitstaff, services, meals, and state resources during work hours. They seek clarification on the nature and purpose of the event, the list of attendees, the locations used, staff allocated, associated costs, the relevant budget allocation, and any potential reimbursement.

“Using public resources for private celebrations is serious. What comes next? Children’s parties funded by all Chileans? La Moneda is not a private estate,” stated Congressman Manouchehri.

“The President can meet whoever he wants in his personal life. What he cannot do is charge the state for a gathering of former classmates and use the government house as a social hall. Public resources are meant to serve Chile, not to finance private camaraderie,” he emphasized.

Cicardini, for her part, argued that “public resources are not meant to pay for nostalgic university memories, especially when it is claimed that there is no money.«

“No one questions with whom the President associates, but he cannot use La Moneda as if it were his backyard,” she noted, while stating that the Comptroller must clarify “who authorized this, how much it cost, and why state resources were used for an activity that has nothing institutional about it.”

Evasive Responses from Sedini on Kast’s Lunch with Ex-Classmates at La Moneda

When questioned by the press regarding the request filed by the Socialist parliamentarians before the Comptroller, government spokesperson Mara Sedini indicated that “the response to the lunch controversy will be provided through institutional channels in the appropriate manner and time.”

“I assure you that this lunch was financed by the President of the Republic using his personal funds,” she stated in comments reported by La Tercera.

Against reporter insistence, Sedini was evasive when addressing questions. When asked why the lunch with former college peers wasn’t held at Kast’s house but rather at the presidential palace, and whether the personal means used by Kast included the waitstaff and employees of La Moneda that attended to the guests, the spokesperson reiterated that “the President financed the lunch with personal resources, and the remaining details will be disclosed through institutional channels to the General Comptroller of the Republic, in due time.”

Both Congress members Manouchehri and Cicardini expect that the Comptroller will act swiftly to clarify the events and establish any administrative responsibilities if improper use of public resources during the lunch hosted by Kast for his nearly 70 former classmates from the Catholic University is confirmed, among whom, according to Reportea, notable names include: Pablo Iacobelli del Río (partner at Carey), priests Carlos Irarrázaval Errázuriz and Pablo Ilabaca Moreno; former director of Internal Revenue, Julio Pereira (partner at Pereira Covarrubias Montes); Pedro de la Cuadra (partner at Montes Olivos Eyzaguirre Arostegui); Diego Marín (partner at Hernán Fontaine); Alberto Eguiguren Correa (Russi & Eguiguren); María Paz Rojas Hidalgo (partner at Vermehren); litigator Alfredo Waugh Correa (partner at GWJA), and Alejandra Rozas (Transearch, executive search), among others.

La entrada Kast’s Lunch with Former College Peers Sparks Controversy Over Public Resource Use se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.