The Office of the Comptroller General (CGR) has formally notified the Presidency’s Administrative Directorate, requesting detailed information regarding the luncheon President José Antonio Kast hosted for his former classmates from the Pontifical Catholic University Law School on April 10. According to reports from CNN Chile and La Tercera, the administration has 10 business days to respond to the request.
The investigation was triggered by a formal complaint filed with the oversight body by Socialist Senator Daniella Cicardini and Deputies Daniel Manouchehri and Nelson Venegas. As reported by El Mostrador, the lawmakers questioned whether the event—which brought together nearly 70 people—utilized institutional support staff, official catering, and state facilities for a private purpose.
The Dispute Over the Use of Public Funds
Government spokesperson Mara Sedini stated that the President will provide the necessary explanations through official channels. Sedini had previously asserted that the event was paid for with the President’s personal funds—a claim that Deputy Jorge Alessandri (UDI) qualified by telling the media, as reported by Cooperativa, that the head of state "is going to pay" for the event, suggesting that the administrative process to settle the expenses may still be underway.
Deputy Daniel Manouchehri expressed skepticism regarding the transparency of the process. "We hope the government responds with the truth, because so far, the evasions and hesitation only show that they are looking for excuses to justify this banquet," Manouchehri told La Tercera. Meanwhile, Senator Cicardini emphasized on X, as cited by La Tercera, that "public resources are not for paying for university nostalgia. The palace cannot be your personal barbecue pit."
The Comptroller’s request mandates that the report be prepared with the involvement of the Presidency’s legal counsel. The agency aims to determine precisely whether the service staff seen in social media footage were working during official hours, whether food costs were initially charged to the public treasury before being reimbursed, or if there was an irregularity in the use of La Moneda’s facilities.
The controversy escalated politically following comments from former First Lady Marta Larraechea. Writing on X, Larraechea criticized the complainants, stating: "How incredibly tacky of the Cicardini couple, criticizing a meal that the President is hosting for his friends," as noted in La Tercera’s coverage of the event’s fallout.
