By Ross Brown/The Santiago Times Staff
SANTIAGO — Officials in Chile have seized records of the “fire cartel” case during recent raids at the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf) and the National Emergency Office (Onemi) offices in capital Santiago.
Conaf and Onemi maintain contracts for the provision of fire-fighting services to Spanish companies that are being accused of bribery, influence peddling and international bribery, in order to win tenders fraudulently.
The three companies – Faasa, Inaer Helicopter and Martínez Ridao – have been operating for years in Chile.
Officials from the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Investigation Police entered the premises of Conaf and Onemi on Friday afternoon.
The PDA’s Brigade of Officials was in-charge of the seizure, all being held in the hands of the police, to be part of the investigation folder of the case.
The IDP, in the first instance, contacted both entities to facilitate the process, and both Onemi and Conaf decided to voluntarily deliver the information.
La Conaf said that it has set up a special room for PDI officials and prosecutors to review contracts between 2010 and 2016 with companies questioned in Europe.
In addition, they argue that the information that the troops could obtained is the same that, a few days ago, delivered to the National Economic Prosecutor.
Ximena Chong, the prosecutor in-charge, had already announced that the crimes investigated “could be incompatible negotiation, bribery and bribery of foreign public official.”
