This article first appeared on El Mostrador on December 15, 2020.

In May, we learned about the “LED Lights” case, in which it was discovered that the company Itelecom had been awarding bids for the replacement of these lights in the municipalities of Iquique and Chillán for years, and in which even officials of the Ministry of Energy were involved. This case is also linked to irregularities in water tank truck contracts in Chillán since they have a former municipal administrator in common. What is happening in Tierra Amarilla is beyond belief, as the municipality has had to face two corruption cases, both involving former mayors: the first for receiving payments from a former lawyer of Minera Candelaria so that the municipality would cease legal actions that prevented an expansion project; the second, for receiving cash payments from contractors in exchange for project allocations.

According to a corruption perception study conducted by Contraloría, Chileans perceive that the country is more corrupt than in 2019. And the truth is that it is not that Chile is more corrupt, but that it is more aware of these facts, at the same time that more cases are known.

Thus, in 2020 we learn day by day of irregularities, many of them associated with municipalities. The causes are many: greater autonomy in certain areas, little control, bad practices, and management of large sums of money, which facilitates the commission of crimes.

There are so many cases that, as time goes by, we forget them. But just as a brushstroke, we will recall some municipal scandals in 2020.

In May, we learned about the “LED Lights” case, in which it was discovered that the company Itelecom had been awarding bids for the replacement of these lights in the municipalities of Iquique and Chillán for years, and in which even officials of the Ministry of Energy were involved. This case is also linked to the irregularities in water tank truck contracts in Chillán since they have a former municipal administrator in common.

What is happening in Tierra Amarilla is beyond belief, as the municipality has had to face two corruption cases, both involving former mayors: the first for receiving payments from a former lawyer of Minera Candelaria so that the municipality would cease legal actions that prevented an expansion project; the second for receiving cash payments from contractors in exchange for project allocations.

In the Valparaíso Region, the cases are diverse. In the Municipality of Viña del Mar, overtime payments, false budgets, and phantom soccer schools are being investigated; while in Valparaíso, the alleged illegality and lack of probity in a public tender of Cormuval are being reviewed. And in Concón, the municipality initiated an investigation against the director of Municipal Works, after rejecting the instruction to annul the preliminary projects and construction permits of a company in the dune field.

The situation of the Municipality of San Ramón deserves separate attention, where we have even seen drug trafficking involved. Today, allegations continue to come to light, such as the hiring of people convicted of crimes such as homicide or carrying weapons, or the fact that the mayor will run for reelection and that his former chief of staff -who was convicted of driving stolen cars- will seek to be a councilman.

Given this brief brushstroke of municipal corruption, it is urgent to reinforce controls. An example is being given by the Municipality of Talcahuano, which this year approved the first anti-corruption office in the country, to prevent conduct against probity and educate its officials in this respect.

We all play a role in society and, therefore, we must dare to report irregularities if we become aware of them. Otherwise, we become accomplices of corruption. A bill is currently advancing in Parliament that creates the figure of the anonymous whistleblower and his due protection, as well as a whistleblower channel through the Comptroller’s Office, which will be applied in various public services, one of them being the municipalities. The bill was approved in the joint Constitution and Internal Government committees and will be voted on in the Chamber soon.

In the same way that we demand transparency and probity, we must assume a commitment to these values to recover the confidence of Chileans in their institutions. The signals must be stronger than ever if we want to recover public faith and be part of a full democracy, where crimes do not go unpunished and the corrupt serve their sentences, no matter who they are.

By Susana Sierra