The incident allegedly took place more than a decade ago and, according to the president's lawyer, it was the president himself who suffered harassment from the plaintiff.
Mauricio Palazzo
From Santiago de Chile
This Monday night, Jonathan Valenzuela, personal lawyer of the Chilean president Gabriel boric, confirmed a sexual harassment complaint filed against the president in his hometown –Punta Arenas-, the past 6 September.
The complaint was filed by a Woman, of legal age, whom Boric met more than 10 years And according to the defender, the story is the other way around and it is the president who would have been harassed by the complainant.
Through a press release, the defender said that among July 2013 and July 2014 President Boric was "victim of systematic harassment - via email - by an adult woman whom he met in the context of his professional practice in Punta Arenas".
“25 emails were sent to him from different addresses of emails from the same person, including in one of them the unsolicited and unconsented sending of images of an explicit nature", he pointed.
“Ten years later, the sender of the emails filed a complaint without any basis against the now president Gabriel Boric on September 6, 2024,” the defender added.
“Since July 2014 there has been no communication of any kind between my client and the sender of those emails. My client never had an emotional or friendship relationship with her and they have not had any communication since July 2014.″, he said.
Regarding the legal action, he explained that "the complaint was filed with the Magallanes Regional Prosecutor's Office, accusing an alleged dissemination of private images and alleged sexual harassment according to article 494 of the Penal Code, facts that never occurred.”
"The first instruction I received from my client was to deliver all the emails that the sender sent and the necessary background information for the timely clarification of the facts to the Prosecutor's Office (...) On October 22, 2024, in Punta Arenas, I delivered all the emails sent to Gabriel Boric to demonstrate the falsity of the reported facts and report the harassment suffered by my client to the prosecutor in charge of the investigation, Christian Crisosto Rifo”, Valenzuela said.
“Today, Monday, November 25, one month after the last communication with the Magallanes Prosecutor's Office, I requested a new interview with the prosecutor in charge to reiterate my full willingness to clarify the facts.. Given the time elapsed and the new interview requested, it was decided to make this information public," said the lawyer.
At the closing of the document, the defense attorney assured that President Boric “categorically rejects and denies the complaint, and this will be demonstrated in the corresponding instance".
Meanwhile, the regional prosecutor of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, Christian Chrysostom, confirmed that there is an ongoing criminal case related to the sexual harassment complaint.
He said that although the complaint had been received, the case had not yet been formalised in court.
In statements to the press, Christian Chrysostom He explained that the criminal case is still in a preliminary phase, known as “deformalized", and that various proceedings are currently being carried out to clarify the facts.
The prosecutor said that the investigation is progressing, but that there are still steps pending for its complete resolution.
He also indicated that, due to the nature of the case, the information will be handled in complete confidentiality. He clarified that it is common for this type of investigation to be handled discreetly to protect both the parties involved and the development of the investigation.
Finally, Crisosto said that the specialized team is actively working on the case, however, he stressed that, as in any criminal case, all corresponding legal procedures must be followed to ensure that the rights of all persons involved are respected.