Frei on controversial statements made by Martita: "I take political responsibility"

SANTIAGO.- Following the uproar caused by statements made by Marta Larraechea blaming the former Minister of Justice for the pardon issued by her husband, Eduardo Frei, for a drug trafficker in 1994, the presidential candidate for the Concertación has taken a break from his agenda to try to remedy the situation.

"I want to be extremely clear and emphatic about this: in an administration, political responsibilities are managed by the President of the Republic and therefore, I take political responsibility for the delicate government actions taken, including this one", declared Frei.

When questioned about the harsh words of criticism spoken by Jorge Pizarro, who even called Larraechea's statements "pathetic", Frei declined to comment and only said that he had never eluded his responsibilities.

The former First Lady made the statements on Saturday, March 28th, while on a campaign tour for Frei in Talca. Later, the an audio file of the statements was uploaded to YouTube.com, where Larraechea can be heard blaming the Minister of Justice at the time, Soledad Alvear, for the pardon her husband issued to Ángel Vargas, who had been charged with bringing 500 kilos of cocaine into the country (the largest amount in history).