|  ElCiudadano.cl |  Noticias

El Ciudadano

Original article: Seguridad sigue sangrando: Arrau remueve a dos subsecretarios tras la caída de Steinert

The crisis within the Ministry of Security continues as President José Antonio Kast accepted the resignations of two undersecretaries: Andrés Jouannet, a former member of Amarillos, and Ana Victoria Quintana, who had suspended her membership in the National Libertarian Party. This decisive action was taken by the new minister, Martín Arrau (Republican Party), following a negative evaluation of both officials’ performance.

The move comes just fourteen days after Arrau assumed office, amid a cabinet reshuffle that saw the abrupt departure of Trinidad Steinert, whose management was deemed unsuccessful.

Sources within the ministry confirmed to Bio Bío Chile that the decision was an open secret, necessitated by the need to heal the «open wounds» left by the former prosecutor during her time in the far-right president’s administration.

Within the ruling party, it was already assumed that Quintana was in an extremely uncomfortable position. Her close association with Steinert, whom she supported in the previous administration, made her a difficult figure to maintain under Arrau’s new leadership.

However, it wasn’t merely a matter of political loyalties; she was also under the weight of a delicate judicial matter.

According to an investigation by BioBioInvestiga, Quintana served as a private defense attorney in a case linked to a gang involved in multimillion-dollar thefts from commercial establishments.

The cited source reported that Andrés Jouannet also failed to impress the new head of the ministry, leading to an equally negative assessment of his performance.

Who Will Replace Jouannet and Quintana?

Attention now turns to who will fill these two vacant positions.

According to reports from Bio Bío Chile, at La Moneda, at least four names are already being considered. Prominent among them are former Undersecretary of the Interior during Sebastián Piñera’s second government, Juan Francisco Galli (RN); former Carabinero and current Republican deputy, Enrique Bassaletti; and the current regional presidential delegate of Ñuble, Diego Sepúlveda, who is also a Republican. The latter has a closer relationship with Arrau, having worked together when Arrau served as the intendente of Ñuble from 2018 to 2020.

Sources indicate that Sepúlveda «keeps up with the pace.»

Another name in the mix is Emiliano García, who previously served as head of advisors to the Republican caucus in the last legislative session and is currently part of the Political Relations Division of the Segpres.

García is viewed as a potential candidate for Crime Prevention.

With these changes, Arrau aims to solidify a trusted team, while the ongoing crisis within the Ministry of Security continues to highlight the government’s struggles, amidst accusations of improvisation, lack of leadership, and instability in its political strategy.

La entrada Security Crisis Deepens: Arrau Dismisses Two Undersecretaries Following Steinert’s Fall se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.