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El Ciudadano

Original article: El negocio familiar que persigue a Kast: parque de entretenciones en Paine, trabajadores haitianos y permisos ambientales cuestionados

The construction of an amusement park in Paine is a family venture pursued by José Antonio Kast, igniting a series of controversies ranging from starting work without the necessary environmental permits to a severe workplace accident involving a Haitian worker. Despite the reported irregularities, the project received its environmental approval due to the efforts of someone who would later be appointed the national director of the Environmental Assessment Service (SEA).

In February 2020, just as the far-right figure was gearing up for his second presidential campaign, which he ultimately lost to Gabriel Boric. The expansion plans of the «Kast family», owners of the well-known Bavaria restaurant and sausage chain, came to light.

The ambitious project, named the “Cultural Events Center Parque Zandia”, included a 70,000 square meter amusement park in the municipality of Paine, featuring an event center, food court, children’s playgrounds, and green areas with three artificial lagoons, transforming into a significant scandal.

According to El Mostrador, the Community Environmental Committee of Paine reported to the Environmental Superintendence that the park’s construction was almost complete by June 2020, despite the Environmental Impact Declaration (DIA) only being deemed admissible in February of that year. The community provided photographic evidence of the construction progress and requested an immediate halt, deeming it «incredible» that a former parliamentarian like Kast would be unaware of the regulations prohibiting construction without a favorable Environmental Qualification Resolution (RCA).

Residents also expressed their frustration at being unable to exercise their right to public participation, as the country had entered a health alert due to Covid-19 with a State of Constitutional Exception. The complaint indicated that construction had started in 2016, a significant date as the current President of Chile was still listed as a partner in the family businesses until March 2017, when his ties to Panama-based companies were revealed.

Workplace Accident Involving Haitian Worker

While José Kast was delivering a speech against Haitian migration, on October 14, 2019, a worker of Haitian descent suffered a serious workplace accident at the site. Donald Georges, employed by Café Alpes Limitada —the family holding’s company— was crushed by a roller coaster cart while pushing it alongside thirteen other workers of the same nationality. He sustained 7 fractures in various parts of his body, including an exposed fracture of his tibia and fibula.

The lawsuit filed by Georges outlined at least fifteen violations by the company, including assigning tasks not stipulated in his contract, lack of supervision, absence of safety protocols, and inadequate preventive measures. The worker was left with permanent consequences and developed an adjustment disorder with panic attacks and insomnia.

Questionable Environmental Permits for the Amusement Park

An inspection conducted by the Environmental Superintendence on August 12, 2020, confirmed the community’s complaints. The inspector noted that the project was «under construction» on an area exceeding seven hectares, with restrooms, a food court, three completed recreational lagoons, and personnel working on-site. Cristián Kast Rist, the family estate manager, welcomed the inspector and reported that the lagoons were lined and used well water.

According to El Mostrador, the report concluded that the park began its execution before environmental evaluation, violating Article 8 of the General Bases of Environmental Law. It was also found that the project was located in a residential area where amusement parks are prohibited according to the Community Regulatory Plan, a point allegedly known to the municipality where Bárbara Kast Sommerhoff served as a councilor.

On April 22, 2021, Parque Zandia withdrew its Environmental Impact Declaration, but the project still entered the Environmental Impact Assessment System (SEIA) in June of that year due to regulatory requirements, as it was situated in areas declared latent or saturated with pollutants. The Environmental Superintendence confirmed that they themselves required the project’s submission under warning of sanction.

On June 16, 2022, Arturo Farías, then acting Regional Metropolitan Director of the SEA, met with the family holding’s legal representatives to review the DIA of Parque Zandia, having already participated in prior meetings in May 2021. His signature appears at several stages of the process, including the resolution that denied a request for citizen participation made by four socio-environmental groups. Finally, in July 2022, under Farías’ management, the Metropolitan Evaluation Commission approved a favorable Environmental Qualification Resolution for the project.

In April of this year, after becoming President, Kast appointed Farías as the new director of the SEA through the «silver bullet» mechanism, allowing the President to appoint service heads without a public competition. According to the cited outlet, his task was «vox populi»: to unblock investment projects and reduce bureaucracy in granting environmental permits, «key factors for the economic reactivation promised by the government.»

La entrada The Family Business Behind Kast: A Controversial Amusement Park in Paine with Environmental Permit Issues and Haitian Workers se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.