Senator Calisto Investigation Expands to Include Health Workers’ Union

AI-generated context summary requested by a Free News Reader user. Sourced via Gemini from publicly available information — no paywalled content was accessed.

You hit a paywall. Here’s the context on this topic based on publicly available information. We did not access any paywalled content. View original article.

Senator Calisto Investigation Expands to Include Health Workers' Union

Full Summary — powered by AI

An ongoing investigation into Senator Miguel Ángel Calisto for alleged repeated fraud against the State has reportedly uncovered links to former leaders of Confenats, a national health workers’ union. The Public Ministry is investigating clues suggesting that Calisto provided cash to former union officials. This development comes amidst a broader inquiry that has seen former associates, Carla Graf Toledo and Roland Cárcamo Catalán, implicate Calisto as the alleged mastermind behind a scheme to divert millions in public funds.

According to reports from July 7, 2026, Graf and Cárcamo provided testimony to the Public Ministry on June 23, detailing a network for fund triangulation that allegedly operated for years. Cárcamo reportedly implicated Fundación Proyecto Futuro, an NGO where he was the legal representative and Graf was the treasurer, stating that international donations meant for social aid were used to fund Calisto’s personal expenses and, in some instances, those of Deputy Joanna Pérez.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office formally accused Calisto and seven other individuals on June 26, 2026, of repeated fraud against the State and subsidy fraud, with the alleged fraud exceeding 100 million pesos. The prosecution argues that contracts with Carla Graf never involved real services for the senator but rather served as a mechanism to irregularly obtain public funds.

Senator Calisto’s defense, led by lawyer César Ramos, has denied all allegations, asserting that the accusations are an attempt by Cárcamo and Graf to improve their legal standing. The defense attributes money transfers between Graf and Calisto to friendship, neighborhood ties, and shared projects. On July 7, 2026, the Court of Guarantee of Coyhaique ordered the reopening of the investigation, accepting new evidence presented by the defense, which temporarily suspended the Public Ministry’s accusation and its request for a 12-year prison sentence. The investigation was reopened for 60 days to allow for expert reports and declarations requested by the accused. The State Defense Council (CDE) has also filed a civil lawsuit against Calisto, seeking to recover over 131 million pesos allegedly obtained fraudulently.

Generated by Free News Reader. This summary provides topic context based on publicly available information. We encourage supporting quality journalism by subscribing to the original publisher.