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Original article: “Esto huele podrido a corrupción”: Manouchehri y Cicardini llevan a Fiscalía pagos de Dominga al estudio de Lagos y Vargas

Socialist deputies Daniel Manouchehri and Daniella Cicardini have filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office to investigate potential crimes such as bribery, corruption, and influence peddling linked to payments exceeding $250 million made by the mining and port project Dominga to the law firm of Eduardo Lagos and Mario Vargas during the critical period when the future of the controversial mining project was being decided in court.

The lawmakers stated that their legal action is based on a report by the media outlet Reportea, which revealed that over $250 million was transferred from Dominga—via Andes Iron, the company behind the project—to the office of lawyers Eduardo Lagos and Mario Vargas, both implicated in the so-called Bielorrusa scheme.

The report indicates that these payments were made between March and December 2023, coinciding with the judicial resolution of Dominga’s fate, and that they lack a clear justification regarding the services provided. This absence of clarity is one of the elements that the deputies seek to clarify through the criminal investigation.

At a press conference, Manouchehri emphasized the seriousness of the situation, stating:
“This is extremely serious. $250 million transferred from Dominga to lawyers Eduardo Lagos and Mario Vargas without a clear justification. Then, payments from these lawyers to the wife of Judge Jean Pierre Matus, followed by a ruling from Judge Matus in favor of Dominga. The same names resurface: (Ángela) Vivanco and (Diego) Simpertigue. This stinks of corruption,” he asserted.

Payments to Matus’ Wife and Alarm Over “Extreme Institutional Seriousness”

The same report notes that Lagos and Vargas later transferred $18 million to the wife of Supreme Court justice Jean Pierre Matus. During that time, the magistrate issued a favorable ruling for Dominga, raising concerns for lawmakers that the matter needs thorough investigation by both the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Judiciary itself.

Manouchehri reiterated that the complaint aims for an in-depth investigation by the Public Prosecutor’s Office:
“Together with deputy Cicardini, we submitted a complaint to the Prosecutor’s Office to conduct a thorough investigation. These same lawyers have been charged with paying bribes to judges. We hope that the Supreme Court will open a formal inquiry against Minister Matus. This follows the same pattern we saw with Ángela Vivanco, Antonio Ulloa, and Diego Simpertigue, all linked to various aspects of the Hermosilla Case,” he stated.

In this context, the deputies express concerns about a “situation of extreme institutional seriousness”, where massive payments come from a highly controversial project, lawyers already implicated in corruption cases, and the involvement of a Supreme Court minister in key decisions regarding the mining project’s future.

“Dominga 7” and Damage to the Judiciary

Deputy Daniella Cicardini stressed that these developments add to what is already known about the network around lawyer Luis Hermosilla and the Muñeca Bielorrusa case:
“Just when we thought Hermosilla’s network and the Muñeca Bielorrusa case had already astonished us, ‘Dominga 7’ emerges,” she said, emphasizing that the report “demonstrates immense damage to the Judiciary.”

The parliamentarian accused that “a few bad apples have spoiled the entire barrel,” and asserted that, from her oversight role, she will not hesitate to point out those who “have harmed our democracy.” In this regard, she called for a “deep cleaning” of the judicial system.

Tello: “We Will Not Allow Corruption to Permeate Our Institutions”

Deputy Carolina Tello (FA), also present at the press conference, highlighted the territorial and environmental implications of the case, recalling that Dominga directly impacts the Coquimbo Region and the Humboldt Archipelago.

In her view, the web of payments and rulings now under scrutiny raises alarms about the capture of key decisions by major economic interests: “Chile needs clear standards of transparency and integrity,” she stated, adding that “There is a constant concern for the protection of the Humboldt Archipelago, and we have had to repeatedly oversee what happens regarding the Dominga project. We will not allow economic power and corruption to permeate our institutions, especially the Judiciary, which must deliver justice without privileges and under equal conditions,” she emphasized.

With the complaint now filed, it will be up to the Public Prosecutor’s Office to decide the next steps: whether to open formal investigations, which aspects to prioritize, and what measures to order to clarify the source, destination, and justification of the substantial payments linked to Dominga and the Lagos and Vargas law firm, as well as their potential connection to judicial decisions that have significantly influenced the project’s trajectory.

La entrada «This Stinks of Corruption»: Manouchehri and Cicardini Report Payments Linked to Dominga to Prosecutor’s Office se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.