The Bioethanol Project and Minister Chapman’s Family Ties: Conflicting Interests
By law, ministers of state cannot intervene in administrative acts that favor or harm their particular interests or those of their relatives. The Minister of Economy and Finance, Felipe Chapman, participated in the Cabinet Council and authorized the presentation of a bill that promotes the use of anhydrous bioethanol as part of the country’s energy diversification strategy.
He did so despite the fact that his brother Fernando Chapman Arias is an alternate director at Compañía Azucarera La Estrella, SA (Calesa), one of the companies that has shown interest in the project and that would benefit from the adoption of the use of bioethanol. Aníbal Galindo, a lawyer and advisor to President José Raúl Mulino, is also listed as an alternate director at Calesa. The company’s resident agent is Alemán, Cordero, Galinda & Lee, the law firm where Galindo is a founding partner. He is currently on leave.
