Lobbyist’s Private Dinner Parties Tangle Up Chile’s Political Elite
(Bloomberg) -- Chilean President Gabriel Boric is facing another hurdle to his political agenda: the revelation of undisclosed dinner parties at the house of a political lobbyist attended by members of his cabinet and industrial representatives.
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CIPER, an investigative news website, reported Dec. 29 about meetings at the house of lobbyist Pablo Zalaquett attended by Economy Minister Nicolas Grau and Environment Minister Maisa Rojas as well as local salmon and fishing industry executives. The meetings weren’t disclosed on the country’s transparency platform. Subsequent reports showed that Interior Minister Carolina Toha and other cabinet members, opposition legislators and pension fund manager executives had also attended some dinner parties.
Days after the gatherings, the government announced it plans to submit a bill to reform Chile’s fishing laws and quotas, as well as another push to reform the pension system. This is leading to calls from opposition officials and politicians for further investigation.
The country’s lobby law, which requires meetings between authorities and businessmen to be recorded, was not followed. Zalaquett is a former mayor of two districts in Santiago from the right-wing UDI party.
Boric’s administration has been marred by controversy and corruption scandals the last few months. Housing Minister Carlos Montes survived an impeachment vote last week amid corruption and influence trafficking accusations in his ministry. Boric’s close aide Giorgio Jackson resigned from the Social Development Ministry in August over the same case, triggering a cabinet reshuffle.
Boric said his ministers did not break the law and said he has asked his government “to meet with all actors to reach agreements that will benefit the people of Chile” while his government spokeswoman Camila Vallejo said no record of the conversations was needed as they were intended to address general background issues.
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