Chile's interior minister accused her predecessor with false information and generated the first crisis in Gabriel Boric's cabinet

During a visit to Congress, Izkia Siches denounced that during the government of Sebastián Piñera they had returned to the country a plane with expelled Venezuelans. She later made a public apology when she admitted to being misinformed.

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Statements Minister Izkia Siches at the Public Security Committee of the Chamber of Deputies on April 6, 2022.

“I identified that one of the planes from the expulsions that were made to Venezuela, returned with the same people, and we had no idea. with all the passengers expelled!” , were the words of Minister Izkia iches at the National Congress on Tuesday, April 6.

It's really a very serious thing. The amount of resources involved in moving a plane full of people and returning it all. Where are those people who have a judicial indication of expulsion? Therefore, when we make our expulsions that are necessary, we have to ensure that the same thing does not happen to us, because it is a scoundrel, at the national level, which is really unpresentable,” he added.

Faced with these sayings, they quickly came out from the previous administration to deny the statement. Rodrigo Delgado, predecessor of Izkia Siches, ruled out the veracity of the accusation by the current Minister of the Interior, through his twitter account.

I absolutely dismiss the statements made by Minister Siches in the House Security Committee and request that she now transparent the concrete background of her complaint, date of flight and payroll of passengers who would have returned to Chile,” said former Minister Rodrigo Delgado.

During the midnight of the same day that the Secretary of State issued the serious accusations, against the government of Sebastián Piñera, she apologized through her twitter account.

Today in the security committee of the Chamber of Deputies I issued incorrect information. For this, in a republican spirit, I sincerely apologize to Rodrigo Delgado and his team,” were his words.

However, the apologies were not enough and from different political sectors they have criticized the head of the portfolio and from the opposition they are considering filing a constitutional accusation against her.

The deputy Jorge Durán from Renewal Nacional was the first to take the idea into consideration, saying that “you have to leave today. The position of Minister of the Interior is not for these shameful pricks. You lied and attempted to attribute a crime to the previous Government and the IDP and seriously compromised the security and honor of the nation. If you don't leave, we will push the constitutional accusation, I invite the opposition to organize.”

On behalf of the same coalition of Chile Vamos, deputy Juan Antonio Coloma, ruled that “he must resign from office today”. “Not only has she demonstrated complete political inability to lead the fight against crime and terrorism, but she lies in House committee and only apologizes when she 'gets catched'. A piece of paper, a shame,” said the parliamentarian.

The leaders of the Lower House and Upper House also referred to the sayings of Siches, Senate President Álvado Elizalde, said that “measures must be taken so that it does not happen again.”

“It is clear that he was given the wrong information and that is why it is necessary to review the procedures for collecting, checking and evaluating the information so that this type of situation does not happen again,” added Elizalde.

His colleague from the Chamber of Deputies Raúl Soto said that “this is not the first time that the minister has to go out to recant her own sayings,” said that “we must be more prudent and responsible with the information that is given to citizens.” Despite this, the president of the House affirmed that there is no constitutional accusation in this case, in conversation with CNN Chile.

Siches had already been at the center of the controversy last week when he referred to “Wallmapu”, the Mapuche ancentral territory that includes lands that now belong to both Chile and Argentina, and he had to apologize for the complaints that this comment aroused in the neighboring country.

The mayor of Providence Evelyn Matthei also referred to the situation, who said that “it is not a mistake of the moment, it is a misinformation that she had plenty of time to check, it happens to me that I was really glad that we had a woman for the first time in the Ministry of the Interior”.

He added to this that “at this point, I think she is doing tremendous damage to President Boric and I think she is doing tremendous damage to women,” the mayor at T13 lamented.

According to sources from the presidential palace of La Moneda, President Gabriel Boric summoned the Minister of the Interior for a meeting in which they addressed the statements issued at the National Congress, where he would have commented and given explanations of what happened to the President, who strongly admonished Siches for what happened.

The Secretary of State did not participate in a press schedule that was scheduled for today that she should lead, which addressed public safety in the country, being some of her own issues on the agenda of the Government of Gabriel Boric.

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