Chile Investigates Fraudulent Use of Sick Leave in the Public Sector

Associated Press SANTIAGO (AP) — The Chilean government spent $350 million in 2024 to cover public officials who used fraudulent sick leave to miss work. A report by the Comptroller General's Office found that 25,078 officials allegedly violated the rest period indicated on their sick leave by traveling outside the country between 2023 and 2024. Meanwhile, the Public Ministry announced Thursday that it has opened an investigation into the matter…

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The Office of the Comptroller-General of the Republic (CGR) issued the ninth Consolidated Circular Information (CIC), which reveals that between 2023 and 2024 more than 25,000 public officials or civil servants travelled outside the country during their medical leave.The report by the regulatory body indicated that for these 25,078 officials issued 35,585 medical leave, of which 69 per cent correspond to permits issued by Fonasa and 31 per cent …

Some 25,000 public officials left the country while on medical leave, according to the Comptroller's office...

The recent report by the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic, which detected 25,078 public officials travelling outside the country while on medical leave, has again raised a key question: Why is it so difficult to dismiss public officials in Chile, even when they commit serious misdemeanours? Although the Administrative Statute (Law 18.834) provides for sanctions such as censorship, fines, suspension of office or dismissal, in pra…

A new scandal put the focus on the use of public resources in Chile. According to the Comptroller General's Office of the Republic, more than 25,000 Chilean state employees used medical licenses to make trips outside the country.The situation led to the opening of an inquiry by the Public Prosecutor's Office and the order to initiate disciplinary proceedings.The study of the higher oversight body, which considered data from the Investigative Pol…