Piñera on Mirage case: "Alywin and Frei have washed their hands"

SANTIAGO.- The National Renovation party presidential candidate, Sebastián Piñera, has asked former presidents Patricio Alywin and Eduardo Frei to accept responsibility for the unauthorized bonuses that were given following the purchase of 25 Mirage aircrafts.

"In a case of fraudulent commissions of more than US $ 15 million dollars, Alywin's administration is blaming Frei and both have washed their hands as if they were Pontius Pilot. With this refusal to accept responsibility, we will never be able win the fight against corruption", Piñera told Radio Cooperativa.

Although the RN presidential candidate explained that criminal responsibility will be determined by the justice system, he added that the presidential hopeful for the PS, DC and PPD parties, Eduardo Frei, should take political responsibility.

Piñera denied that the right wing is trying to take advantage of the Mirage case for their own political interests and stated that each time an instance of corruption is investigated, the Concertación accuses them of taking advantage of the situation.

According to Piñera, acts of corruption are precisely to blame for the squandering of public resources during significant times of crisis.

"In the EFE (Chilean State Railways) more than US$ 1.2 billion dollars were wasted; US$ 1 billion in Enap; more than US $1 billion dollars on Transantiago; each one of these monumental errors made by the government has meant a loss of capital that should be in the hands of the people, creating jobs, improving health care and education", declared Piñera.