Original article: Por paralización de obras ordenada por Poduje: Empresa a cargo de reconstrucción en Viña del Mar demanda al Serviu y al Fisco y pide indemnización de más de $12 mil millones A massive lawsuit against Serviu and the State has been filed by Social Arquitectura, the company responsible for the reconstruction in El Olivar following the major wildfire that impacted Viña del Mar. This action comes in response to the early halt of work directed by Housing Minister Iván Poduje. As reported by El Periodista, the legal action was submitted to the First Civil Court of Valparaíso, aiming to invalidate a series of administrative acts established by Poduje, who, as a reminder, ordered the revocation of the contract with the company and initiated the collection of a guarantee bond of 500 UF (approximately $20 million), which had been temporarily suspended.
In its lawsuit, Social Arquitectura is seeking compensation exceeding $12 billion for the damages incurred. «The lawsuit targets three resolutions issued in April: Poduje’s order for the early termination of the contract, a resolution from the Ministerial Secretary of Housing in Valparaíso, Marcelo Ruiz, formalizing this decision, and another from the regional Serviu directing the termination of the associated construction contracts,» details the report from El Periodista. In this context, Social Arquitectura has warned that Minister Poduje’s decisions lack both technical and legal grounds, pointing out that such authority belongs to the Ministerial Secretary of Housing, indicating that the resolutions were issued irregularly.
Finally, the legal action also challenges Iván Poduje’s statements, in which he criticized and insulted the companies involved in the reconstruction on social media, referring to them as «charlatans» and accusing them of acting «irregularly» and being in blatant breach of their contracts. We will keep you updated.