On Wednesday, the Chamber of Deputies had passed loans for US$30 million that had already been cleared by the Senate. On Thursday, the Chamber of Deputies passed another four loans for US$64 million, bringing the two-day total to US$94 million. Deputy Julio Cesar Valentin (PLD-Santiago) said that an investigation by the Department for the Prevention of Corruption should be called to the loans. The loans from the Spanish bank, Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria are primarly for purchases of equipment for hospitals and the military. As reported in El Caribe newspaper, Valentin said, “What is most striking of this case is that the four companies in the four contracts have different names, but the same owner and the same address that is Paseo de la Castellana No. 40 in Madrid, Spain. Only one employee attends to the four companies,” denounced Valentin.
