Pérez-Yoma: "The existence of commission brokers is normal"

SANTIAGO.- Minister of Interior Edmundo-Pérez-Yoma was greeted with chaos upon return from his vacation. Having only just arrived at the Presidential Palace, he was subjected to questioning from Omar Astudillo over the Mirage case and was asked to clarify what his role had been in the purchase of the aircrafts.

"What is under investigation here is not whether the purchase of the planes was right or wrong. What is under investigation is whether illegal commissions were paid or not" reiterated Pérez-Yoma to Radio Cooperativa.

The minister assured that the acquisition of the planes was always justified and that there was no reason to reinvent the wheel, insisting that the used jets were purchased at an "absolutely reasonable" price.

Pérez-Yoma went on to assert that "the existence of commission brokers is something normal", but what was suspect in this case is that the people making decisions about the purchase were the same ones paid the commissions.

With respect to the special session called at the Senate today to address the issue, the head of the Cabinet emphasized that those behind it are "taking advantage of a very complicated situation for their own political interests", calling on the senators to approve the law proposals related to the operative of the Ministry of Defense.