MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Judge indicts Chilean Congressmen

A judge in Chile has indicted three Congress members belonging to the ruling coalition on charges of taking bribes.

Christian Pareto, Jaime Jiménez and Victor Manuel Rebolledo were all stripped by Chile's Supreme Court from their legislative immunity from prosecution last month. Besides, they have been suspended or expelled from their respective parties.

Judge Carlos Aranguiz is investigating allegations of a network of bribes that were demanded from businessmen in exchange for the granting of licences with the complicity of officials from the Public Works Ministry.

The licences were for the establishment of technical inspection certificates for vehicles mainly in the Rancagua area.

The three politicians who deny the charges face jail sentences of up to three years if found guilty. Another two Congressmen were also allegedly involved in the network but have avoided been indicted. A former Socialist Public Works Minister and several of his advisors have also been jailed.

The corruption cases have been particularly damaging for the Chilean ruling coalition and President Ricardo Lagos personally, who originally described the situation as "isolated", while the Chilean press reports that allegedly it's all part of a network to collect funds to finance political parties and campaigns.

The stripping of immunity of several Deputies has left the ruling coalition with a razor blade majority in Congress putting at risk the approval of legislation in several key fields and issues.

To make things worse another scandal erupted this month in the Chilean Central Bank where one of the president's private secretaries, with access to highly classified data, was selling information to financial institutions and pension funds.

Carlos Massad is a reputed and respected banker and a very close friend of President Lagos