Original article: “¿A quién hay que pagarle? ”: revelan causas previas del empresario Germán Naranjo Maldini tras insultos racistas y homofóbicos en Brasil “Who do I need to pay? ” This phrase, quietly spoken inside an office of the Civil Registry in the Lo Barnechea commune, has become central in a lawsuit filed by the Civil Registry and Identification Service for active bribery against Chilean businessman Germán Andrés Naranjo Maldini.
His name made headlines this weekend after he was arrested at São Paulo airport, Brazil, following his involvement in a violent incident of racist and homophobic outburst aboard a Latam Airlines flight, which was captured in videos that circulated widely on social media and news platforms. However, Naranjo Maldini faces multiple legal issues in Chile. An investigation by Meganoticias revealed that the executive has also been accused of making a false bomb threat at the W Hotel in Santiago in 2013, an incident that prompted a major security response from the Carabineros’ elite unit, GOPE, activating all the venue’s safety protocols.
The report paints a picture of a man who has been linked on at least three occasions to erratic behavior requiring police intervention. «Who do I need to pay? I have the money right here» The most recent case, being processed in Santiago’s 4th Guarantee Court, is the one submitted by the Civil Registry and Identification Service.
The incident occurred on February 4, 2025, when the businessman arrived with his wife to collect his minor son’s passport. According to the complaint, he went straight to a service module “without taking a number or waiting in line” and addressed an employee “in an arrogant manner”. When informed that there were delays in the document’s processing, he reportedly approached and quietly asked, “Who do I need to pay?
Three years ago, I paid Mario Patiño to expedite this process. ” Minutes later, he returned abruptly to the module and, “without any shame”, displayed a bundle of $10,000 bills saying: “Take this and make my passport quickly. ” The employee called for security, at which point Naranjo Maldini began shouting inside and outside the office, falsely accusing officials of demanding money.
“Help, they are asking me for cash to get my passport faster! ”, he reportedly exclaimed in front of other patrons. Even in front of security personnel, he repeated, “Who do I need to pay?
I have the cash right here! ” The Civil Registry deemed the events “extremely serious” for undermining public trust and violating the rule of law. False Bomb Threat at the W Hotel The other allegation dates back to 2013, when Naranjo Maldini was reported for an incident at the W Hotel in Las Condes.
According to the Eastern Prosecutor’s Office, the executive arrived with a woman and, after changing rooms because the first one “did not meet his standards”, told a bellboy that he needed to return to the room because “he had left a bomb to kill all Muslims. ” This comment triggered safety protocols at the hotel, which belonged to an American chain and was about to host a convention. Carabineros deployed the GOPE unit, but no explosives were found.
The woman who accompanied him claimed that a “similar situation” had occurred earlier at the Sheraton Hotel restaurant. As reported by Meganoticias, despite the severity of these comments, the Prosecutor’s Office decided not to pursue charges, arguing that there were no “serious and credible threats” and that no bomb was found. The court upheld this decision.
As Brazil considers legal actions stemming from the racist and homophobic remarks made at São Paulo airport, for which he could face charges of racial defamation, the name of Germán Naranjo Maldini continues to be associated with growing legal troubles in Chile.