INTERFERENCIA has already published that the public policy called Forest Insurance -financed with the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture- has meant that the State of Chile has disbursed more than $1,100 million pesos to subsidize the payment of insurance for small and medium-sized forest properties contracted by private parties.
Furthermore, politicians like Felipe Cast (Evopoli) and Christopher Urruticoechea (Republicans), have been the object of millionaire subsidies to finance the payment of insurance for their forest lands.
But in the review of the documents obtained by this writing, other powerful characters benefited from these subsidies can be observed, on this occasion, linked to the world of business and the financial market.
It is the case of Gabriela Luksic Fontbonathe half-sister of Andrónico Luksic and one of the members of the wealthiest family in the country, who received a total of $2,509,201 pesos in December 2021, according to the data provided by Agroseguros to our medium via the Transparency Law.
El Olivar de Manantiales SpA was established in October 2009 by Benares Limited, a firm founded by Gabriela Luksic in the tax haven of Jersey.
Specifically, the benefit for the payment of forest insurance was obtained by the company called El Olivar de Manantiales SpA, to insure 374-hectare land in the Limarí river basin in the Coquimbo Region.
Said company was constituted according to records of the Official diary in October 2009 by Benares Limited, a firm founded by the youngest of the Luksic brothers in 2004, and whose domicile is in the tax haven of Jersey, an island dependent on the British Crown located in the English Channel.
In 2020 INTERFERENCE published the article The real estate empire in Chile that Gabriela Luksic…, in which reference is made to the massive businesses that Gabriela Luksic controls through Benares, including one of those sued by the CDE for environmental damage in an ecological preservation area.
Along these lines, El Olivar de Manantiales SpA differs from the real estate companies controlled by Gabriela Luksic through Benares Limited, as it is a company dedicated to the production and sale of olive oil. Moreover, it is the only beneficiary of the forestry subsidy whose line of business is not forestry, but fruit cultivation, and which is located in a region in the north of the country.
INTERFERENCIA consulted Agroseguros for the reasons for including a fruit company in the forestry subsidy template. The agency replied: “The insurance company that issued the policy, at the time the Agroseguros subsidy was collected, reported that it corresponded to a forest insurance policy, and compliance with the requirements to access the subsidy was reviewed according to the parameters approved for forest insurance”.
Another high-ranking executive from Sanhattan who has received this benefit is Patricio Phillips Saenz, a historic strongman for Julio Ponce Lerou. According to the information available, Phillips received the subsidy in April 2022 on two occasions, totaling $4,900,622 pesos.
Subsequently, Agroseguros consulted the insurance company for the details of the policy, correcting that it was insurance in the event of a fire involving fruit trees, “and that it was erroneously reported by the insurance company as forest insurance”. In any case, the The agency affirms that “the insurance parameters of the policy also complied with the subscription regulations to access the subsidy in fire insurance for fruit trees”.
On the other hand, it should be noted that the property where this Gabriela Luksic company operates is located north of the Limarí River and has an area of 450 hectares. In addition, it has water rights for 710,122 cubic meters per year, or 33 liters per second, as well as shares in the Recoleta Reservoir, upriver.
In economic terms, El Olivar de Manantiales has periodically increased its capital since its creation, going from $5,851 million pesos in 2010 to $20,124 million in November 2022.
Cencosud, SQM and Abumohor
Among the beneficiaries of the forest insurance subsidy, it is also worth noting Stefan Krause Niclascurrent director of Cencosud Shoppings SA and one of the historical men in the holding with which Horst Paulmann controls the Jumbo supermarket chain.
In addition to leading Cencosud’s expansion in Argentina, Krause is known for its land in southern Chile and its associated companies, including a dairy.
Within the subsidized list, Krause appears with Agrícola y Forestal El Flavio SpA in the Araucanía Region. In total, 86.3 hectares of land were subsidized to Krause between November 2020 and October 2022 for a total of $5,392,803 pesos.
But in addition to these subsidies obtained through this company, Stefan Krause has also managed to access the benefit as a natural person on three occasions.
Indeed, Krause obtained the benefit in November 2020, November 2021, and October 2022, for a total of $7,587,980 pesos. In this way, the director of Cencosud adds subsidies for forest insurance for a total of $12,980,783.
Another of the beneficiaries is Felipe Ibáñez Scott, brother of Nicólas Ibáñez, together with whom they were the forgers of the Líder supermarket chain, which they sold to Walmart in 2013 for a value close to US$1,500 million.
Another Sanhattan senior executive who has received this benefit is Patrick Phillips Saenz, historical strong man of Julio Ponce Lerou.
According to the information available, Patricio Phillips – whom Ponce met when he directed Corfo in the 1970s – received the subsidy in April 2022 on two occasions, totaling $4,900,622 pesos for the payment of forest insurance.
Phillips has been a director of Potasios de Chile SA, Nitratos de Chile SA, Sociedad de Inversiones Pampa Calichera SA and Norte Grande SA for more than a decade. All of them are known as the cascade companies through which Julio Ponce Lerou has controlled SQM, and which, according to accusations by minority shareholders of SQM -including Sebastián Piñera- have helped Ponce to create a scheme through which could benefit directly through fraudulent stock purchases.
The company Rentas Siga Dos SA, which -according to records of the Official diary– is linked to the Abumohor family, through the company Inversiones Hyera SA, owned by Hernán Abumohor Lolas and Susana Abumohor Lolas, plus other younger family members.
This company received $594,653 pesos in April 2022, according to information provided by Agroseguros.
Felipe Ibáñez Scott, former owner Líder
Another of the beneficiaries of the Forest Insurance He is one of the members of the famous and wealthy Ibáñez family. Is about Felipe Ibanez Scottbrother of Nicólas Ibáñez, along with whom they were the founders of the Líder supermarket chain, which they sold to Walmart in 2013 for a value close to US$1.5 billion.
In this case, the beneficiary was Agrícola y Forestal Latinforest Limitada, for $2,174,726 pesos to secure 216 hectares in the Los Ríos Region in May 2018. Said company is controlled by Felipe Ibáñez through Sevilla Inversiones, family office through of which it controls real estate businesses, livestock properties, clinics, technology companies, among others.
Among those subsidized is the vice president of the National Forestry Society (SNF) and member of the Forest Policy Council of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mario Hermosilla Daudet, who received $5,208,255 pesos between 2019 and 2022.
The Ibáñez family has been known for its closeness to the political right, considering the openly favorable opinion that Nicolás Ibáñez has expressed regarding the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
Felipe Ibáñez Scott himself has made financial contributions to right-wing campaigns in the past, when donated $428 million to Chile Vamos and Republicanos in the 2021 conventional election, according to an article in Platform Context.
It should be noted that Latinforest was originally registered as Sociedad Agrícola y Forestal Los Peces in 1995, by Felipe Ibáñez and Ricardo Cruz Matta, a historical employee of the Ibáñez family and who in 2004 would become the general manager of D&S, controller of Líder supermarkets.
Sanhattan businessmen and senior executives
In the line of businessmen and executives of the richest families in Chile, figure Alejandro Barthold Kadelbach, former general manager and director of Ultramar, a holding company for the Von Appen group with which they control 19 ports throughout the Americas, including TPS in Valparaíso. Barthold is the owner of Agrícola y Ganadera Arizona Limitada, which in November 2019 and 2020 received a total of $2,868,188 pesos to subsidize forest insurance on 42 hectares of land in the Araucanía Region.
Former director of Esval, Essbio, Banmédica, Inmobiliaria Manquehue, among others, John Paul Arms Mac Donald is also on the list. With his company Agrícola y Forestal El Roque SpA, Armas MacDonald secured 323 hectares between 2020 and 2021 for $4,799,794 pesos.
Another former director is Matias Lyon Schurch with his company Agrícola y Forestal El Terruño Limitada. Between 2014 and 2022, Lyon Schurch was deputy director of the concession toll roads controlled by Sacyr, Rutas del Desierto and Valles del Biobío. Meanwhile, 61 hectares of his property in La Araucanía were subsidized for $2,931,821 pesos, between November 2020 and October 2022.
Among those subsidized is the vice president of the National Forestry Society (SNF) and member of the Forestry Policy Council of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mario Hermosilla Daudetwith its company Comercial Tronco SpA in the Ñuble Region.
Hermosilla Daudet, representative of small forest owners and foresters on the Forest Policy Council, received $5,208,255 pesos as a subsidy for forest insurance between 2019 and 2022, insuring 70 hectares.
The subsidized list includes lower-profile businessmen such as Eugenio Tagle Irarrázaval, founder of Quesos Quillayes. In 2017 Tagle received $11,590,199 pesos in subsidy for his company Agrícola Viña Los Quillayes SpA, for 242 hectares on a property in the Maule Region.
In this regard, it should be noted that INTERFERENCIA published the article Owners of Monticello, Quillayes cheeses and the Ariztía family: who are behind the irregular occupations in Lake Rancoin which the Comptroller’s Office pointed out the company Inversiones Futrono owned by Eugenio Tagle Irarrázaval as an illegal extractor of water from the lake and with six irregular occupations in Bahía Coique, including three docks, one with a terrace, a ramp, a riprap and the pipe to extract water.
In addition, Oscar Fuenzalida Calvo y Ricardo Duchknown for being the founders of the Doggis fast food chain, received a subsidy from AgroSeguros.
Mamut and Tommy Beans, also owners of Juan Maestro, received $1,111,729 to secure 144 hectares in the Araucanía Region in 2017, from their San José de Colliguay Limitada Agricultural, Forestry and Livestock company.