[Politics] The millionaire contributions of businessmen and renowned Pinochet supporters to the A Favor campaign

[FNX Magokiler]

The Sol Foundation updated the list of the 10 main contributions for the plebiscite on December 17. The “top ten” is not only made up entirely of large Chilean businessmen, but also includes recognized defenders of the Pinochet dictatorship, with large donations to the Republican Party (REP) and the Independent Democratic Union (UDI).

Together, they contribute almost $351 million. Juan Manuel Casanueva, Nicolás Ibáñez (father and son), Wolf Von Appen and members of the Hurtado Vicuña family, are the main patrons of the campaign. Everyone is betting on the “In Favor” option.

Although Ibáñez Jr. was the one leading the list a few weeks ago, according to the Sol Foundation and data from the Electoral Service (Servel) as of December 1 of this year, now it is Juan Manuel Casanueva Prendez, controller of GTD (fiber optic services and networks) who heads the list, with a contribution of $72,907,260 to the UDI.

GTD
Juan Manuel Fuenzalida is president and owner of GTD. The company recently suffered a cyber attack that affected several public services such as Fonasa, Correos de Chile or the university credit payment portal such as CAE, but this has not stopped its international expansion. This year, GTD announced its arrival in Mexico through Secure Soft, a center specialized in cybersecurity.

 

 

Although it also made the decision this year to abandon an alliance process with the Australian Macquaire, which was going to buy 49% of its data center business.

But his activity is not only business, Casanueva was also part of the commotion caused in 2019 by an insert published in El Mercurio in favor of the Coup d'état. Among the signatories were fans of the dictatorship such as columnist Hermógenes Perez de Arce, former admiral Jorge Arancibia or the founder of the UDI Javier Leturia. The president of the GTD Group was part of those who paid $14 million for the publication, along with Eduardo Kawas, manager and founder of the advertising and printing agency ImagenGroup, listed among the Panama Papers companies.

The Ibanez
Nicolás Ibáñez Varela, real estate businessman and son of Nicolás Cirilo Ibáñez Scott, contributed $72,900,000 to the Republican Party. Meanwhile, his father, also a businessman and director of Drake Enterprises, former controller of the Líder supermarket, controller of the Papa John's pizza chain and member of the Atlas Network, contributed $20,000,000 to the group founded by José Antonio Kast .

Ibáñez Scott is known on the Chilean right.

 

https://www.elmostrador.cl/noticias/pais/2023/12/04/los-millonarios-aportes-de-reconocidos-pinochetistas-a-la-campana-del-a-favor/