Nationality Chilean — Politics / Chillán mayor

Camilo Francisco Benavente Jiménez

Also known as: Camilo Benavente

Updated on 12 November 2026

Mayor of Chillán, Chile, formally investigated over a municipal property purchase.

Chillán mayor Camilo Benavente was formally investigated in October 2026 over two alleged instances of misuse of public funds in a property purchase. An appellate court lifted his travel restriction in November, finding insufficient grounds to maintain that precaution. The criminal proceedings remain open.

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2Documented controversies

4Sources

0Conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

Case · 2 documented stages

2026: formally investigated for two counts of misuse of public funds

Formally charged

October 2026

2026: formally investigated for two counts of misuse of public funds

Formally charged

On October 16, Chilean prosecutors formally investigated the mayor over two alleged frauds involving the 2021 purchase of Chillán’s Medialuna site. They claimed overvaluation and the return of facilities to the seller caused losses of roughly CLP 2.1 billion. These are disputed prosecutorial estimates, not findings of guilt.

State of the evidence: Official prosecutor statement corroborated by reporting on the appeal.
Legal status — source text: Formalised investigation since October 2026; no conviction.
Attribution: Allegedly harmful municipal property purchase decision.

Sources · 2

[1]
Fiscalía de ChileFiscalía formaliza por dos hechos de fraude al Fisco a alcalde de Chillán por caso “Medialuna” que implicó un perjuicio por $2.100 millones16 October 2026Official documentHigh reliability
[2]
BioBioChileCorte deja sin cautelares a alcalde de Chillán investigado por fraude al fisco en compra de medialuna11 November 2026MediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 12 November 2026

Add to this entry Any news?

November 2026

2026: appellate court lifts travel ban

Formally charged

On November 10, the Chillán Court of Appeals unanimously overturned a travel ban imposed on the mayor. It found insufficient grounds for that interim restriction on the evidence then available. Removing a precautionary measure is neither an acquittal nor a dismissal of the investigation.

State of the evidence: Appellate decision reported by BioBioChile and 24 Horas.
Legal status — source text: Travel restriction lifted; criminal investigation remains open.
Attribution: Original allegations remain, while grounds for the interim restriction were rejected.

Sources · 3

[1]
BioBioChileCorte deja sin cautelares a alcalde de Chillán investigado por fraude al fisco en compra de medialuna11 November 2026MediaHigh reliability
[2]
24 HorasCorte de Apelaciones deja sin medidas cautelares al alcalde de Chillán en el caso Medialuna10 November 2026MediaHigh reliability
[3]
G5NoticiasCorte de Apelaciones de Chillán deja sin cautelares a alcalde imputado por fraude al fisco11 November 2026MediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 12 November 2026

Add to this entry Any news?

II. Constellation of documented links

No documented link with another published profile for now.

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

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Controversia profile, updated 12 November 2026. Latest version: https://controversia.info/en/fiche/camilo-francisco-benavente-jimenez