Shortly before 9 in the morning, the mayor, Juan Ramón Godoy, arrived at the Oral Court in Pernal de Rancagua. This was under a wide journalistic expectation where even the so-called “Cartel Man” arrived armed with coins to throw at the mayor. Confident in proving his innocence, Godoy entered in a formalization hearing that was expected to be very extensive.
Among the facts reported by the Prosecutor’s Office, it was pointed out that he had favored certain contractors with various acts, direct dealings without justification, he did not charge fines for non-compliance, companies were paid for works not executed, benefiting them with the use of false documents, generated fraudulent, for the benefit of individuals, for at least 2.3 billion pesos.
The Prosecutor’s Office accused fraudulent contracts, for example, with the accused Javier Cornejo, during the years 2021, 2022 and 2023. The explanation was long about the use that Godoy would have made for various personal payments from a Banco Itaú account in Cornejo’s name. It was said that among other things, he paid tuition for one of his daughters and made various purchases both in Chile and abroad.
In this way, Godoy – according to the accusation – would have assigned direct deals to Cornejo’s company, for example an improvement project in schools in the commune, bidding on fragmented issues such as painting and improving bathrooms in educational establishments, where the accused Cornejo presents false certificates to be awarded the jobs. They overpay for unexecuted work, 29 million pesos for unexecuted works and, due to the difference in surfaces to be painted paid for, hiding the bond of friendship with Cornejo through front men.
In the case of the accused, Diego Barba Oliva, he is accused of having been awarded fraudulent tenders. He would have bought Godoy a Mazda car, year 2021, at the Anfruns Motors dealership in Rancagua, for more than 32 million pesos, and he also paid for a tourist package to Lima for Godoy for more than one million pesos. This is done by the same person who is awarded a tender for security issues during National Holidays.
As for Oscar Martínez Catalán, a gastronomic businessman, Godoy promised him business once he took over. For this, he asked for 10 percent of different direct deals that he offered, to which the accused agreed, paying bribes of more than 10 million pesos to obtain fraudulent tenders, configuring the crimes of bribery, fraud to the Treasury as the author. in a consummate degree.
Meanwhile, Carlos Felipe Rodríguez Cajas, between January 2020 and 2023, entered into contracts with the municipality, to which Godoy requested payment of 10 percent of the amount of the assigned contracts, to which the defendant agreed. He was favored on at least ten occasions. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, these crimes are configured as repeated bribery and fraud against the Treasury, by the mayor, and repeated bribery in the case of Rodríguez Cajas.
As for Daniel Salazar González, between 2021 and 2023, he concluded direct deals on environmental issues, resulting in bribery crimes.
The formalization continued, indicating crimes of bribery and tax fraud allegedly committed by Godoy, this between 2021 and 2023, added to money laundering, using cash and front men to acquire assets in the name of third parties. For example, he receives credits for more than 3 million pesos in his bank account, as well as makes a series of million-dollar payments with cash, and more than one million pesos are seized in his office.
The Prosecutor’s Office points out that he used other people’s accounts to justify the illicit obtaining of money, including that of Javier Cornejo. He uses front men to acquire real estate, including one in the commune of Doñihue where he makes a promise to purchase contract for the sum of 135 million pesos. This is supported by advisor Daniel Salazar. The crime of money laundering is established.
In this sense, prosecutor Nicolás Núñez maintained that preventive detention is requested for Mayor Godoy; For Javier Cornejo, total house arrest and national roots are requested; for Diego Barba he requests preventive detention; for Carlos Rodríguez he requests preventive detention and; Partial house arrest is requested for Daniel Salazar, with the Public Ministry requesting seven months of investigation. In the case of the accused Daniel Salazar, his partial house arrest was finally determined between 8:00 p.m. and until 6:00 a.m. As for Cornejo, formalized for the crime of bribery and embezzlement of public funds, he was placed under total house arrest.
After this determination, these defendants with their lawyers leave, continuing the formalization during the afternoon.
APPOINTMENTS OF SUPPLIERS BY HANDS
After a break of almost half an hour, the presentation of charges continued, but this time details of the evidence that the Prosecutor’s Office would have for his accusation were provided, since in the morning only the facts on which the Public Ministry based this investigation were pointed out. This is how the prosecutor Nicolás Núñez argued that from the beginning of the Godoy government, he assigned as suppliers to the municipality those who gave economic benefits to the mayor, in the case of Javier Cornejo so that his companies were favored in the system of public accounts. On his phone Godoy had saved access codes to the bank account of the Itaú bank of the accused Cornejo, code 1234, in addition to the use of cards, which were used to pay for schools, payments in supermarkets, by the mayor, purchases for no less of 12 million pesos, which was later reflected in Cornejo being awarded public purchases.
Transfers for 73 million pesos between August 2021 and May 2023 coincide with the date on which Godoy received the card from Cornejo for purchases and expenses, including purchases and international transfers for million-dollar amounts, made by Mayor Godoy in countries like Peru and Mexico. The transfers on Cornejo’s card coincide with the dates when Godoy was abroad.
Four tuition payments were detected for one of Godoy’s daughters, for more than 2 million pesos, payments made with money obtained – according to the Prosecutor – as a result of bribes. Part of the payments were also made with the debit card of Javier Cornejo, from Banco Itaú. Payments for personal medical expenses, purchases in large stores, with Cornejo cards became evident to the Prosecutor’s Office after Godoy, at the time of making the purchases, provided his RUT for the accumulation of points in these large stores. Godoy made 42 million pesos in purchases between 2022 and part of 2023 with two debit cards, owned by Cornejo.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Javier Cornejo was a privileged supplier to the Municipality of Rancagua, the accusation claims that Godoy asked in exchange for the contracts to be paid 10% of the amount assigned to the tenders.
“There was fraudulent governance that assigned and awarded public purchases to those businessmen who provided economic benefits to the mayor. They devised and used a mechanism for the payment of bribes through the current account of the Banco Itaú of the accused Javier Cornejo and, in addition, they used the debit cards with which the money coming from the illicit acts of fraud to the Treasury, embezzlement, was laundered. and aggravated bribery,” explained the High Complexity prosecutor of O’Higgins, Nicolás Núñez.
The Prosecutor, Javiera Oro, meanwhile, referred to the relationship that Godoy maintained with Diego Barba, owner of a security company frequently hired by the municipality. Bribes and commercial favors were reported, among them the purchase of a vehicle for the mayor in the sum of 32 million pesos, this at Anfruns Motors, where Barba paid with checks and the rest in installments.
Barba, owner of the company Bod Seguridad SpA, between 2021 and 2023, has invoiced at least 130 million pesos to the municipality of Rancagua, including being awarded the security service for the National Holidays in 2022.
Prosecutor Oro’s story indicates, for example, that for a cost of 45 million pesos, in 2021, Oscar Martínez, who at this procedural stage is not formalized, could obtain the lease of the Medialuna venue to hold the fair. Christmas of that year, being able to sublease 144 premises. To complete it, he had to deliver 10 percent of the amount to the mayor, that is, 4 million 500 thousand pesos. All of the above through direct treatment and without bidding.
After 5 p.m., and once the Prosecutor’s Office’s account of the events had finished, the Court decided to continue with this hearing this Wednesday starting at 9:15 a.m. It will be the turn of the defenses to present their arguments and try to delegitimize the arguments presented by the prosecution, at which time Godoy’s precautionary measures will also be discussed. Of course, during the discussion of the precautionary measures of Barba and Rodríguez, the Prosecutor’s Office already announced that it will request preventive detention for Godoy and an investigation period of at least 7 months.
GODOY SPOKE AT THE EXIT
“We are in the middle of the training, it is an investigation that has been reserved for a year and a half, we had access in January, and for the first time we have the possibility of defending ourselves,” Mayor Juan Ramón Godoy said as he left the Court.
Likewise, the Rancagüina authority stated that “we are going to present our arguments and our defense. We have shown our face from the beginning, we have collaborated with the investigated. “Here you do not change to another prosecutor’s office, here what you do is present yourself in front of what is being developed in this formalization.”
Meanwhile, the mayor’s defense pointed out that they believe that there are errors in what was delivered by the Prosecutor’s Office, but that this Wednesday it will be their turn to present.
#Prosecutors #Office #requests #preventive #detention #mayor #Rancagua #Juan #Ramón #Godoy
