Crime Prevention Model Chile (Modelo de Prevención de Delitos)

A Crime Prevention Model Chile (Modelo de Prevención de Delitos — MPD) is a structured compliance program that Chilean legal entities adopt pursuant to Article 4 of Ley 20.393, enacted 2 December 2009 (Ley que Establece la Responsabilidad Penal de las Personas Jurídicas en los Delitos de Lavado de Activos, Financiamiento del Terrorismo y Delitos de Cohecho), to identify, assess, and mitigate the risk of criminal conduct being committed within the organization. Ley 20.393 — significantly expanded by Ley 21.595 of 17 January 2023 (Ley de Delitos Económicos), which extended the catalogue of criminal offences attributable to legal persons — represents the foundational statute of corporate criminal liability in Chile, operated by the Ministerio Público (Fiscalía de Chile) with enforcement through the Juzgados de Garantía and Tribunales de Juicio Oral en lo Penal.

The legal architecture of Ley 20.393, as amended by Ley 21.595/2023, attributes criminal responsibility to corporations, foundations, limited liability companies, Sociedades Anónimas (SAs) under Ley 18.046/1981, Sociedades por Acciones (SpAs) under Articles 424–446 of the Código de Comercio, and other legal entities when a crime is committed: (i) directly for the benefit or interest of the organization (en su beneficio o interés), (ii) by a person with management or supervisory authority (dueño, controlador, directivo, ejecutivo, representante, or any person performing management functions), or (iii) due to the organization's failure to adequately supervise lower-level personnel. Article 4 of Ley 20.393 creates a complete defence (exención de responsabilidad penal) for the legal entity when it has adopted and implemented an adequate Crime Prevention Model before the commission of the offence.

The offences covered by Ley 20.393, as substantially expanded by Ley 21.595/2023, now include: lavado de activos (money laundering) under Articles 27–28 of Ley 19.913; financiamiento del terrorismo (terrorism financing) under Ley 18.314; cohecho (bribery of national public officials) under Artículo 250 of the Código Penal; cohecho a funcionarios públicos extranjeros (foreign official bribery) under Article 251 bis of the Código Penal; receptación (receiving stolen property) under Article 456 bis A of the Código Penal; negociación incompatible (incompatible negotiation by public officials) under Article 240 of the Código Penal; corrupción entre privados (private-to-private bribery) under Articles 287 bis and 287 ter of the Código Penal; administración desleal (breach of fiduciary duty) under Article 470 No. 11; apropiación indebida (misappropriation) under Article 470 No. 1; estafa (fraud); delitos tributarios (tax crimes) under the Código Tributario; delitos contra el medio ambiente (environmental crimes) under Ley 19.300; delitos informáticos (cybercrime) under Ley 21.459/2021; and numerous additional economic crimes introduced by Ley 21.595/2023.

The Unidad de Análisis Financiero (UAF) — Chile's financial intelligence unit established under Ley 19.913 of 2003 — coordinates anti-money laundering supervision and provides guidance on MPD implementation for entities subject to its oversight. The Fiscalía Nacional Económica (FNE) enforces competition law under Ley 19.911 and the Tribunal de Defensa de la Libre Competencia (TDLC), while the Comisión para el Mercado Financiero (CMF), established under Ley 21.000/2017, supervises financial sector compliance with MPD requirements for entities under its jurisdiction.

An adequate Crime Prevention Model under Article 4 of Ley 20.393 must include four core elements: (1) designation of an Encargado de Prevención de Delitos (Compliance Officer) with sufficient autonomy and resources; (2) identification of activities or business processes that create criminal risk (mapeo de riesgos penales); (3) implementation of protocols, procedures, and controls to prevent and detect criminal conduct; and (4) establishment of reporting channels (canales de denuncia), including anonymous denunciation mechanisms consistent with Ley 20.205/2007 (whistleblower protection for public sector) and the whistleblower protections introduced by Ley 21.595/2023 for the private sector. The Corte Suprema and Tribunales de Juicio Oral en lo Penal have evaluated MPD adequacy in landmark cases including the Enersis, Corpbanca, and SQM proceedings, establishing jurisprudential standards for what constitutes a genuinely operative compliance program versus a purely formal document.

A Crime Prevention Model Chile is required or strongly advisable across a wide range of corporate situations determined by the scope of Ley 20.393/2009 and the expanded criminal catalogue of Ley 21.595/2023.

Legal obligation for certain entities: While Ley 20.393 does not mandate MPD adoption for all private entities, certain regulated sectors face de facto requirements. State-owned enterprises (empresas del Estado) — including CODELCO (Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile), ENAP (Empresa Nacional del Petróleo), and BancoEstado — are expressly required to adopt MPDs under Article 4. Entities under CMF supervision, including banks regulated by Ley General de Bancos (DFL No. 3/1997), insurance companies under DFL No. 251/1931, and securities intermediaries under Ley 18.045/1981 (Ley de Mercado de Valores), operate under CMF circulars requiring documented compliance programs that encompass MPD-equivalent controls. Entities subject to UAF reporting obligations under Ley 19.913 — banks, casinos, real estate agents (corredores de bienes raíces), car dealerships (automotoras), and others listed in Article 3 of Ley 19.913 — must implement anti-money laundering controls that integrate with the MPD framework.

Public procurement participants: Companies contracting with Chilean government entities under Ley 19.886/2003 (Ley de Bases sobre Contratos Administrativos de Suministro y Prestación de Servicios) and procuring through the ChileCompra platform (Mercado Público) face increased scrutiny regarding corruption prevention. Concession contracts under the MOP (Ministerio de Obras Públicas) framework and public–private partnership agreements frequently include contractual obligations to maintain an operative MPD as a condition of contract.

Post-investigation remediation: When a company, its directors, or employees become targets of criminal investigation by the Fiscalía Regional or Fiscalía Nacional, or when the Juzgado de Garantía issues a formalización de investigación against the entity under the Código Procesal Penal (Ley 19.696/2000), implementing or upgrading an MPD becomes urgent. Article 4 of Ley 20.393 requires the MPD to have been in place before the offence — but a post-investigation MPD supports sentencing mitigation under the penalty reduction provisions of Ley 20.393.

Corporate transactions: Mergers, acquisitions, and capital raises involving Chilean Sociedades Anónimas under Ley 18.046 or SpAs under Articles 424–446 of the Código de Comercio require due diligence on MPD adequacy. Private equity investors, international acquirers, and capital market participants — whether Chilean or foreign — treat MPD documentation as a baseline compliance expectation for Chilean target companies. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), adopted in Chile by the CMF for publicly listed entities, require disclosure of material litigation risks including criminal proceedings under Ley 20.393.

A Crime Prevention Model Chile adequate under Article 4 of Ley 20.393/2009, as amended by Ley 21.595/2023, must contain the following essential elements to satisfy judicial scrutiny by the Tribunales de Juicio Oral en lo Penal and the Corte de Apelaciones:

Organizational Identification and Scope: Full legal name of the entity — whether Sociedad Anónima (SA) under Ley 18.046/1981, Sociedad por Acciones (SpA) under Articles 424–446 of the Código de Comercio, Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada (SRL) under Ley 3.918/1923, or other legal form — together with RUT (Rol Único Tributario assigned by the SII), Registro de Comercio inscription, legal address, and a clear statement of the MPD's scope covering all controlled subsidiaries, branches, and operational units.

Encargado de Prevención de Delitos: Designation of a Compliance Officer (Encargado de Prevención) with formal appointment by the board of directors (directorio) under Article 4 of Ley 20.393. The Encargado must possess sufficient organizational autonomy — reporting directly to the Directorio or Junta de Accionistas rather than to operational management — and must be allocated adequate resources (budget, personnel, technology) to perform oversight functions. The Encargado's identity, appointment date, organizational reporting line, specific powers, and term must be documented. For entities under CMF supervision, the Encargado typically must meet fit-and-proper requirements analogous to those in CMF Norma de Carácter General (NCG) circulars.

Criminal Risk Mapping (Mapeo de Riesgos Penales): A systematic assessment identifying: (a) which activities, processes, business units, or third-party relationships of the organization create exposure to criminal conduct under Ley 20.393 as expanded by Ley 21.595/2023; (b) the likelihood (probabilidad) and potential impact (impacto) of each identified risk materializing; (c) existing controls and their effectiveness; and (d) residual risk after controls. The risk mapping must be tailored to the organization's specific sector, size, geographic footprint across Chile's 16 regions, counterparty profile, and transaction types — it cannot be a generic checklist. Industries with heightened risk profiles include mining (CODELCO, BHP, Anglo American operations subject to SERNAGEOMIN oversight), banking and financial services (CMF-supervised entities), construction and real estate (corredoras de bienes raíces registered with the CMM), pharmaceutical distribution, and public procurement contracting under ChileCompra.

Procedures, Protocols, and Internal Controls: Specific written procedures (manuales, protocolos, o procedimientos internos) addressing each identified criminal risk, including: due diligence on counterparties and beneficial ownership verification consistent with UAF Circular No. 49/2012 (anti-money laundering requirements); approval workflows for unusual transactions; segregation of duties (separación de funciones) for high-risk activities; controls over cash payments above the thresholds established in Article 4 of Ley 19.913; expense and gift policy limits; public official interaction protocols; and controls over political contributions consistent with Ley 19.884/2003 (Ley sobre Transparencia, Límite y Control del Gasto Electoral).

Reporting Channels and Whistleblower Protection: An internal reporting channel (canal de denuncias) allowing employees, directors, officers, contractors, and third parties to report suspected criminal conduct confidentially or anonymously. The whistleblower protection framework must comply with Ley 20.205/2007 (public sector whistleblower protection) as a minimum standard and with the enhanced private-sector protections introduced by Ley 21.595/2023. The channel must provide: a designated recipient other than the suspected wrongdoer's direct supervisor; non-retaliation guarantees; documented investigation procedures; and timelines for resolution consistent with due process principles under the Código Procesal Penal (Ley 19.696/2000).

Training and Communication Program: A documented training program ensuring that all relevant personnel — including directors, executives, and employees in risk-exposed functions — understand the MPD, their obligations under Ley 20.393, and the consequences of non-compliance. Training records must be maintained as evidence of program implementation. The Corte Suprema and Tribunales Orales have examined training records in Ley 20.393 proceedings as evidence of genuine program operationality.

Monitoring, Audit, and Continuous Improvement: Annual review of the MPD by the Encargado de Prevención with reporting to the Directorio or Junta de Accionistas. External audit of MPD adequacy by independent compliance specialists is best practice, particularly for entities under CMF supervision or those participating in public procurement under ChileCompra. Identified deficiencies must trigger documented remediation plans with assigned responsibilities and deadlines.

The implementation of an adequate MPD under Ley 20.393/2009 requires analysis of the specific organizational context, sector-specific regulatory requirements, and ongoing adaptation to the expanded criminal catalogue under Ley 21.595/2023. Licensed Chilean compliance professionals (abogados especializados en compliance) and the Encargado de Prevención should tailor this template to the organization's actual risk profile.