Deputy Giordano Calls for Investigation into Political Use of Pension Fund Resources

Original article: «Caso Fontaine»: Diputado Giordano pide investigar utilización de recursos de las AFP con fines políticos

Deputy Andrés Giordano (FA), president of the Labor Committee in the Chamber, has officially reached out to various public agencies following the publication of a joint report by Reportea.cl and Vergara 240 from the School of Journalism at U. Diego Portales, titled «The Secret Link between AFPs and Bernardo Fontaine’s Foundation Paying a Troll Who Attacked Matthei and Jara on Social Media.»

The investigative report has uncovered potential multi-million dollar financial transfers between pension fund administrators (AFPs), the Association of AFPs (AAFP), the Citizens in Action Foundation linked to former constituent Bernardo Fontaine, and the communications agency Artool.

According to the report, part of these funds may have been allocated to political content digital campaigns and pension propaganda, which, in the deputy’s view, necessitates thorough oversight of the use of resources coming from a public interest system.

«The report from Reportea provides evidence supporting what we have been denouncing for months: that the AAFP has operated as a political actor,» stated the legislator.

«Therefore, we have formally requested the Superintendency of Pensions, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Transparency Council to investigate the financing, contracts, and advisories behind this campaign. It is unacceptable for such a powerful economic sector to use its influence to manipulate public debate about pensions with propaganda disguised as information,» added Deputy Giordano.

In the official communication dispatched, information has been requested from the following agencies:

–Superintendency of Pensions, to report on possible contracts, transfers, or other financial links between the involved entities, as well as the supervisory actions taken.

–Internal Revenue Service (SII), to clarify whether there are records of invoices or receipts among the same entities and if any tax irregularities have been detected.

–Transparency Council, to determine if the AAFP, given its role in the pension system, should adhere to transparency and accountability standards.

–Ministry of Economy, to detail whether requests to revoke the legal personality of the AAFP have been evaluated and what supervisory mechanisms exist for trade associations managing pension resources.

Lastly, Deputy Giordano emphasized that the pension system is a matter of public interest and that citizens «have the right to know how resources that come, directly or indirectly, from their contributions are used,» expressing hopes for a «prompt response» from the oversight institutions to clarify any potential misuse of funds or violations of existing regulations.

El Ciudadano