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Original article: US$60 millones declarados y aún faltaban datos: revelan omisiones en patrimonio de ministra Lincolao

Within José Kast’s cabinet, the case of Ximena Lincolao has drawn significant attention, as her fortune is reported by InfoProbidad to amount to US$60 million. However, an investigation revealed that this figure may be underestimated, as the Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation reportedly failed to disclose at least three companies in her interests and assets.

According to an article published by Fast Check, among the unreported entities is a family consulting firm focused on technology for indigenous communities, an inactive tech company in the United States, and a homeowners association in the upscale neighborhood of McLean, Virginia, where the state secretary owns a house valued at over 2 million dollars.

The first omission identified by the media’s investigative team is Innova Nehuén SpA, a company founded in January 2021 in La Reina by Lincolao, her three sisters, and a teacher. Lincolao had previously spoken publicly about this project during a 2024 interview with TVN, describing it as an initiative aimed at developing technology programs based on the stories of indigenous peoples, particularly the Mapuche. However, upon taking on her ministerial role in Kast’s government two years later, she failed to include this company in her official declaration. Records from the Official Diary and the Internal Revenue Service show no modifications, sales of shares, or any actions indicating that she has exited the company.

Yet, the list of omissions extends beyond Chilean borders. In the United States, where Lincolao has resided since 1997, she is listed as the sole member of Tech Apprenticeships LLC, a limited liability company established in September 2020 in Virginia. In the founding documents, the state secretary appears under the name Ximena Hartsock, one of the identities she uses in the northern country. Although the company is currently inactive, the Virginia Corporation Registry lists it as active, with a «perpetual» duration and the option to reactivate it by paying a fee.

The third unreported entity is the Potomac Overlook Homeowners Association Inc., a nonprofit organization in the exclusive neighborhood of McLean, Virginia, where the minister maintains her foreign residence and which is considered one of the most expensive areas around Washington, as noted by the report.

As of the last annual report in April 2025, Lincolao is listed as the secretary of the entity, while her husband, engineer Eric Gates, serves as the treasurer. The registered address of the association matches that of the house valued at $2.03 million that the minister did declare.

Expert: «There are no reasons that exempt an authority from disclosing their participation in companies»

In light of this situation, Michel Figueroa, the executive director of Chile Transparente, stated firmly: «officials are obligated to declare their interests in companies or organizations they are part of, regardless of their location outside the national territory.»

The expert argued that there are no valid reasons for an authority to avoid disclosing their involvement in companies, even if these are inactive but not dissolved.

«All information should be updated and completed by the official, and it is the citizens who should assess it,» he indicated.

Regarding involvement with nonprofit organizations, he explained that they also must be disclosed, as they can still pose a conflict of interest that might positively or negatively impact the work of the organization.

Currently touring the United States, the minister’s team did not respond to inquiries regarding the omissions identified by Fast Check, leaving open the question of whether her asset declaration will require an update.

La entrada US$60 Million Declared: Minister Lincolao Faces Questions Over Omitted Assets se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.