Pablo Wagner

Pablo Wagner
Undersecretary of Mining
In office
20 June 2020 – 11 March 2022
PresidentSebastián Piñera
Preceded byVerónica Baraona del Pedregal
Succeeded byFrancisco Orrego Bauzá
Personal details
Born (1970-06-29) 29 June 1970 (age 54)
Santiago, Chile
Political partyIndependent Democratic Union
Alma mater
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionEngineer

Pablo Guillermo Wagner San Martín (June 29, 1970) is a Chilean commercial engineer, businessman, and politician. After a long period in the private sector, he was Undersecretary of Mining in the first government of President Sebastián Piñera between 2010 and 2012. In 2017 he was indicted for repeated bribery and money laundering offenses in the Penta case, being finally convicted in July 2018 as perpetrator of repeated tax offenses and relevant and unjustified capital increase.[1]

Professional career

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He began his working life as head of corporate marketing at Cristalerías de Chile, after which he moved to Empresas Penta as project manager between 1998 and 2000, and then as manager of planning and development of Banmédica, between 2000 and 2009. He developed a close relationship with businessman Carlos Alberto Délano, one of the group's main shareholders.[2]

He was on the board of AFP Cuprum between 2001 and 2010, and was appointed vice chairman of the board in 2007, while the company was then chaired by Ernesto Silva Bafalluy.[2] He was also a director of Isapre Cruz Blanca, a position he resigned from in 2014.[3]

Political career

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In the late 1980s, he joined the conservative Independent Democratic Union (UDI). He was known for following Jaime Guzmán's political ideas and Miguel Kast's economic views. Some of his close friends during his early years in the party were Rodrigo Álvarez and Darío Paya. At the beginning of the 1990s, he was part of two youth directives in the party. Later, he became a member of the party's Political Commission.[2]

In 2010, after Sebastián Piñera's victory in the 2009–2010 presidential election, he was appointed as the Undersecretary of Mining, with Laurence Golborne serving as the Minister. His administration is best remembered for the rescue of the 33 miners who were trapped in the San José Mine. However, his stint ended abruptly in October 2012 when the tender for the exploitation of lithium deposits was annulled. This was due to the non-compliance of the winning company, Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM), with the terms and conditions.[4][5][6]

References

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  1. ^ "Caso Penta: Lectura de sentencia contra Pablo Wagner.11 de julio | Poder Judicial". www.poderjudicialtv.cl. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  2. ^ a b c "Wagner, el protegido del "choclo" Délano que fue derrotado en el proceso de licitación del litio". ElMostrador.cl. 2012. Archived from the original on 2015-11-13. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  3. ^ "Caso Penta: ex subsecretario Wagner renuncia al directorio de Cruz Blanca". La Tercera. 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  4. ^ "Gobierno anula proceso de licitación del litio a SQM por incumplir bases". LaTercera. 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-01-07. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  5. ^ "Subsecretario Wagner renuncia tras la fallida licitación de litio". Emol (in Spanish). 2012-10-02. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  6. ^ "EyN: Gobierno pone punto final a licitación del litio con nueva resolución". Economía y Negocios. 2012. Retrieved 2024-02-09.