Below, we share the rectification request letter sent by our brother José Antonio Dávila, General Assistant for Temporal Affairs of the Sodalitium of Christian Life, to Mr. Gustavo Mohme Seminario, Director of La República newspaper, rejecting the false claims made in an article published on September 4th, 2023, in the said newspaper.

You can access the letter in PDF format here.

This rectification request was not addressed by La República and, consequently, was not published in the newspaper.

Lima, September 14th, 2023

Mr.
Gustavo Mohme Seminario
Director of La República Newspaper
Jr. Camaná 320, Cercado de Lima
Lima – Peru

Dear Mr. Mohme,

After a cordial greeting, I am writing to you in my capacity as General Treasurer (Ecónomo General) of the Sodalitium of Christian Life to express our disagreement with the information presented in the article published on September 4th, 2023, titled “Sodalitium Companies Had Suspicious Capital Increases.”

The aforementioned article contains statements that are contrary to the truth, which we clarify as follows:

1. It is false that there has been any “suspicious” capital increase by institutions related to the Sodalitium, as stated in the article. In this regard, we note the following:

a. The article does not provide any evidence to support such a serious accusation. The journalist’s analysis, based on SUNARP records, only considers the registered capital and does not examine its progression. By failing to request such information, the report disregards commercial, legal, and tax management details of the companies mentioned.

b. The companies’ origins of capital, capital increases, and investments have been legitimate and lawful. They have fulfilled their tax obligations, as evidenced by the information available from the National Superintendency of Customs and Tax Administration (SUNAT).

2. It is false, as stated in the article, that various companies related to the Sodalitium are “controlled with an iron fist by the perpetual servant of the Sodalitium, Juan Carlos Len Álvarez,” and that he, along with Father Jaime Baertl Gómez, “held absolute economic power.” All institutions related to the Sodalitium have a plurality of members or associates who actively participate in their governance, a collegiate body, and corporate governance policies backed by corporate documentation. Furthermore, these institutions are subject to audits and government oversight, are governed by Peruvian laws, are autonomous, and have a clearly defined corporate governance structure.

3. It is false, as the article claims, that Agrícola San José and Agrícola Santa Regina injected money into Inversiones San José.

4. It is false that Agrícola San José, Agrícola Santa Regina, and Agrícola José Juan are “Sodalitium companies.” Inversiones San José established separate companies, including the aforementioned agricultural enterprises, with each being formed by third parties who, as partners, contributed capital and know-how. However, after the El Niño phenomenon in 2017, Inversiones San José sold its stake in these companies and completely disassociated from them in 2018.

5. The insinuation in the article that “Alma Minerals Perú is involved in an offshore scheme to allegedly funnel money out of the country” is false and unsubstantiated. In 2008, Providential Group was invited to participate as a shareholder in Alma Minerals Ltd., a company established in the British Virgin Islands by an individual unrelated to the Sodalitium, to initiate the exploratory phase of a potential mining project. Concurrently, Alma Minerals Perú S.A. was created with several mining experts as partners to undertake the exploratory process for a potential mining project in Peru. However, this project never materialized, and in 2016, it was deemed appropriate to cease participation in the investment. Consequently, the shares of Alma Minerals Perú were sold to a third party with no ties to the Sodalitium, and the process to dissolve Alma Minerals Ltd. in the British Virgin Islands began, with the company ceasing to exist in 2017.

6. Regarding the statements attributed to the alleged “key witness F.N.P.,” we clarify the following:

a. It is false that the investigation by the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Money Laundering, which only began in April 2023, involves a “key witness F.N.P.,” as suggested in the article. To date, this Prosecutor’s Office has not conducted any proceedings of this nature. The cited testimony was given in December 2020 as part of an investigation conducted by another Prosecutor’s Office. To date, the claims made in that testimony have neither been proven nor substantiated.

b. It is false that the witness F.N.P. “stated that Sodalitium companies were involved in the invasion and dispossession of land from rural communities, supported by criminal organizations.” Institutions related to the Sodalitium have never dispossessed lands. Additionally, the witness only reported hearing rumors, which he relayed, but he provided no evidence that these events occurred, as recorded in question 20 of his statement (2020).

c. It is false that the witness F.N.P. “also identified the companies used to generate wealth, such as Inversiones San José, Agrícola San José, and Agrícola José Juan, which are part of the money laundering case.” In the witness’s statement, only Inversiones San José was mentioned, and he explicitly expressed his lack of knowledge about the formal establishment of these companies, as recorded in question 21 of his 2020 statement. Furthermore, none of the agricultural companies mentioned in the article are part of the prosecutorial investigation into the alleged money laundering case.

d. Additionally, the witness F.N.P., in question 6 of his 2020 testimony, stated that he was always uninvolved in financial management. It is important to note that the witness, who has not been a member of the Sodalitium since 2012, neither worked for nor participated in the management or administration of any of the companies mentioned, nor did he receive any relevant documentation about them.

We regret that the journalist responsible for the article did not contact the Sodalitium to obtain our perspective on the facts, which is essential for journalistic integrity. This is particularly significant considering that the article undermines the right to the presumption of innocence by insinuating serious accusations that lack evidence and presenting them as the main headline on the newspaper’s front page.

Given the arguments outlined above, and exercising our right to rectification, we respectfully request that this letter be published in your newspaper.

Sincerely,

José Antonio Dávila Guerrero
General Assistant for Temporal Affairs
Sodalitium Christianae Vitae