Penta case

The Penta case (or Penta-SQM, since the two cases are related) is a criminal case brought against Grupo Penta, a Chilean holding company Empresas Penta, and employees of the Chilean National Tax System (SII). Key employees of the firm have been convicted of committing tax fraud by creating fake invoices in the National Tax System (SII). These funds were then directed to the political campaigns of mainly UDI (far right wing) politicians as campaign contributions. Several Penta employees, as some of their family members, have been convicted^[1] of tax evasion, bribery, money laundering. This case is still ongoing.

Update 2 December 2015: The former president of the UDI political party Jovino Novoa is sentenced to 3 years parole (pena remitida) for tax crimes.

Here are the defendants from Penta:

Name	position	sentence
Hugo Bravo	general manager	was charged in March[2] for money laundering, bribery, and tax fraud. He is currently under house arrest
Carlos Alberto Délano	director	charged 7 March 2015 with tax fraud and bribery. Was held and then released.
Carlos Eugenio Lavín	director	Spent his 73rd birthday in prison.[3]
Oscar Buzeta	business development manager	charged with tax crimes[4]

Here are the defendants from the SII:

Name	position	sentence
Ivan Alvarez	auditor	On March 25, 2015 the court found Ivan guilty and in the holding sentenced him to 5 years of imprisonment; fine in the amount of 1,900 million pesos; and confiscation of an apartment and a car
Sergio Diaz	accountant	4 years imprisonment; 700 million fine; forfeiture of two houses and an apartment.
Juan Carlos Prieto	accountant	5 years of probation, 290 million fine
Mitzi Carrasco	accountant	5 years of probation, 246 million fine[5]
Hernan Diaz	accountant	released
Francisco Sivic	accountant	released[6]
Horacio Mayquel	accountant	released
Orlando Carvajal	accountant	5 years of probation, $30 million fine

Here are some of the politicians to whom Penta funneled funds.

Name	party	status
Pablo Zalaquet	UDI, former mayor of Santiago	released from house arrest[7]
Iván Morerira	senator (UDI)	no charges[8]

Others charged:

Name	role	status
Pablo Wagner	minining subsecretary under President Piñera	under house arrest[9]

References

1. "Condenas en fraude al FUT, la hebra que terminó en el caso Penta: 5 años para Iván Álvarez y 4 para contador Díaz". El Mostrador. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
2. "Caso Penta: Este miércoles se revisan cautelares de Hugo Bravo y Manuel Antonio Tocornal". The Clinic. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
3. "En prisión: Carlos Eugenio Lavín celebró su cumpleaños número 73 en Capitán Yáber". The Clinic.
4. Chaparro, Andrea; Carvajal, Cinthya. "Penta-SQM: masiva formalización include a ex gerente de Bancard y ex diputado radical". El Mercurio. El Mercurio. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
5. Radic, Sandra. "Otro coletazo del Caso Penta: SII quiere sacar a la Dirección Santiago Oriente del estado de riesgo vital y apunta a descongestionarla". El Mostrador. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
6. Batarce, Catalina. "Fraude al FUT: este viernes se conocerá la sentencia de tres imputados". La Tercera. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
7. "Caso Penta: Corte de Apelaciones revoca arresto domiciliario nocturno a Pablo Zalaquett". Diario Uchile. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
8. Toro, P.; Matus, J. "Fiscalía pide formalizar a 19 personas por casos Penta y SQM". La Tercera. La Tercera.
9. Baeza Palavecino, Angélica. "Caso Penta: Corte de Apelaciones mantiene arresto domiciliario de Pablo Wagner". La Tercera. Retrieved 6 May 2015.