Senator Ricardo Celis of the Partido por la Democracia (PPD) has formally requested that the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic (Contraloría General de la República) investigate a housing subsidy granted to Catalina Ugarte Millán in 2009. The inquiry centers on whether Ugarte, currently the Chief of Staff for President José Antonio Kast, met the legal requirements regarding property ownership at the time the state benefit was awarded.
### The Allegations Against Catalina Ugarte Millán
Senator Celis filed an official request with Comptroller Dorothy Pérez, seeking a comprehensive review of the 2009 subsidy process. According to the senator’s formal communication, the primary eligibility criteria for such state-funded housing benefits include a strict prohibition against the beneficiary owning other real estate.
Celis alleges that at the time of the application, Ugarte’s family held multiple properties in Santiago, which—if verified—would have disqualified her from receiving the subsidy. The senator further stated that these properties remain within the family’s possession today. The request for investigation aims to establish whether there was a breach of administrative protocols during the original allocation process.
### Potential Administrative Consequences
The PPD legislator is pushing for a formal investigation to determine if the subsidy was obtained through irregular means. According to the filing, the Comptroller’s office has been asked to either conduct its own inquiry or demand a formal statement from the Ministry of Housing and Urbanism (MINVU).
Should the investigation conclude that the benefit was awarded in violation of existing regulations, the senator is calling for administrative accountability. This could include a formal recommendation for the restitution of public funds. Under Chilean administrative law, the Comptroller General maintains the authority to audit the legality of acts performed by public officials and the distribution of state resources.
### Current Status of the Investigation
As of June 18, 2026, neither Catalina Ugarte Millán nor the administration of President José Antonio Kast has issued a public response regarding the specific allegations presented by the PPD senator. The case remains in the preliminary stage of administrative review.
### Key Regulatory Context
Housing subsidies in Chile are governed by strict socio-economic and asset-based criteria managed by the Ministry of Housing and Urbanism. These programs are designed to assist citizens who do not possess the means to acquire property independently. Compliance is verified through the national real estate registry (Conservador de Bienes Raíces) and internal tax records (Servicio de Impuestos Internos).
The role of the Comptroller General is to act as an independent oversight body, ensuring that public resources are distributed in accordance with the law and that no conflicts of interest or eligibility bypasses occur. The outcome of this request will depend on the findings of the review, which will cross-reference the applicant’s status in 2009 against the property records available during that fiscal year.
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