Deputy Laura Soto found not-guilty in PGE fraud trial

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SANTIAGO.- Former deputy Laura Soto and her campaign manager, Cristián Garrido, were both absolved on the charge of fraud that had been filed against them for allegedly extracting public funds from the Employment Generation Program (PGE) to support her parliamentary campaign in 2005.

The Oral Court of Valparaíso ruled that there was not sufficient evidence to find the defendants guilty of illicitly paying lobbyists that had been working on her campaign.

The ruling was made in spite of the fact that evidence presented by the Public Ministry during the oral trial had indicated that 30 people who were working on the campaign at the time (during late 2005) were paid with PGE funds, with less than two of the payments generated from Laura Soto's campaign center.

Meanwhile, the former head of the Department of Labor, José Manuel Mancilla, was found guilty of committing fraud against the Treasury, while Councilor Marisol Paniagua, who is the deputy's daughter, was also found guilty of fraud.