Chile's Senate rejects impeachment of President Pinera

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Chile’s Senate decided late Tuesday not to impeach President Sebastian Pinera over his involvement in the controversial sale of a mining company through a firm owned by his children. ​​​​​​​

In the 43-member Senate, impeachment requires two-thirds of the chamber’s votes instead of a simple majority. The total votes in favor fell short of the 29 needed to remove the president, who is due to finish his second term in office in March of next year.

Chile's lower house had approved an impeachment trial last week against Pinera over allegations that he favored the sale of a family property that hinged on the government not declaring the land a nature reserve, as revealed in the Pandora Papers -- a leak of almost 12 million documents published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists that revealed secret offshore accounts of current and former world leaders, billionaires and celebrities.

The Pandora Papers revealed that the sale of the Dominga mining company for $152 million involved a firm linked to the Pinera family, which prompted the prosecutor's office to open an investigation concerning "bribery and eventual tax crimes.”

The deal in the Virgin Islands was made in 2010 to one of Pinera's closest friends during his previous term as president.

The president’s defense lawyer argued that the accusations have no legal basis and that he was already acquitted of the charges in 2017.

On Sunday, the country will hold presidential elections in which Pinera will not be allowed to take part.

If the accusation in the Senate had been successful, Pinera would have been banned from holding public office for five years.