MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile: Monsalve placed under pre-trial detention

At the end of the day, Monsalve was transferred to the Rancagua prison

Former Chilean Undersecretary of the Interior Manuel Monsalve was placed under pre-trial detention Tuesday and sent to the Rancagua prison under rape charges following the hearing which had been adjourned from Friday.

North Central Metropolitan Prosecutor Xavier Armendáriz accused Monsalve of the crimes of sexual abuse, rape, and attempted rape against a subordinate while still in office. In this scenario, Judge Mario Cayul invoked the Belem do Para Convention and argued that the defendant was a danger to society. Hence, he ordered Monsalve's “immediate admission to public prison” and gave sleuths 4 months to wrap up their case.

Tuesday's hearing was held in the strictest confidence as new information was presented, such as forensic reports not establishing any sexual activity between the perpetrator and his victims. Privacy was also required to prevent the re-victimization of the affected persons.

Monsalve's lawyers, María Inés Horvitz, Lino Disi, and Cristián Arias insisted there were insufficient grounds to justify such a serious precautionary measure. They had long recalled that their client had been arrested at his Viña del Mar home and, therefore, posed no flight risk.

But Armendáriz recalled that “it is not true that Monsalve does not remember what happened on the night of Sept. 22.”

During Tuesday's proceedings, Monsalve fainted as the precautionary measures against him were announced. His lawyers asked Cayul to halt the hearing until the defendant was treated by the Courthouse's healthcare staff. Monsalve returned after a few minutes.

“In accordance with the provisions of articles 122, 139, and 140 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, I order the preventive detention of the accused, Mr. Monsalve, because I consider that his freedom constitutes a danger to the security of society,” Judge Cayul stressed.

The former undersecretary was denounced by a female employee for his improper conduct on the night of Sept. 22, after they both went to a Peruvian restaurant in downtown Santiago and later to Monsalve's hotel. The complaint was filed on Oct. 14 but Monsalve did not reign until three days later. He is believed to have tried to use his office's power to conceal the events and gave up after failing to achieve that. These maneuvers could add to Monsalve's criminal record but are not under consideration at this point.

Later Tuesday, Monsalve was taken to the Rancagua prison in the O'Higgins region, where he is expected to be locked up in a special module isolated from the rest of the inmates due to safety concerns. The authorities also guaranteed that the detention facility is equipped with whatever Monsalve might need healthcare-wise.

The Monsalve case has heavily dented President Gabriel Boric Font's approval ratings and many political analysts in Santiago still wonder why Interior Minister Carolina Tohá, Monsalve's superior who is believed to have participated in the cover-up attempts, is still in office.