MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile's top general resigns over intel leak

Boric welcomed Paiva's decision to take responsibility for what has happened.

Chilean General Guillermo Paiva Hernández has resigned as head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (EMCO) following the leaking of classified information to the press which went viral Thursday

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General Paiva left his post after the revelation of a “massive” amount of confidential emails.

Interior Minister Carolina Tohá insisted the military leaders were accountable for this occurrence, while Socialist Deputy Tomás de Rementería of the House's Defense Committee underlined that “responsibilities must be fulfilled; in this case, the military and political responsibility of General Paiva in the face of the leak of this series of emails from the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”

”We think it is good that he has left his post, but we also have to investigate and find out why this happened: was it because of the loss of capacities installed in cybersecurity matters during the government of (Sebastián) Piñera, was it Paiva's own responsibility, who we know is an expert in intelligence, the deputy director of the DINE (Army Intelligence Directorate); we have to know for sure what happened,“ he insisted.

Committee Chairman Andrés Jouannet added that the resignation of General Paiva ”does nothing more than ratify the seriousness of this attack that we have suffered as a country, that the Armed Forces have suffered at the heart of our cybersecurity, which is supposed to grow safe.“ In his view, the leak of the emails was ”a serious event.“

President Gabriel Boric Font said from a press conference in the United States that ”I think it is right that General Paiva has assumed his responsibility.“

Boric described his trip as ”successful,“ albeit marred by the unprecedented leak which already forced Defense Minister Maya Fernandez to return to Santiago ahead of schedule.

Regarding the incident, Boric explained that ”we are working on this as a State together with all the commanders in chief and both the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Defense are working together with the commanders in chief to safeguard the national interest.”