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Dorothy Pérez

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Dorothy Pérez
Comptroller General of the Republic of Chile
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 6, 2024 (2024-11-06)
PresidentGabriel Boric Font
Preceded byJorge Bermúdez Soto
Deputy Comptroller General of the Republic of Chile
In office
December 3, 2018 (2018-12-03) – November 18, 2023 (2023-11-18)
PresidentSebastián Piñera (2018–2022)
Gabriel Boric Font (2022–2023)
Preceded byMaría Soledad Frindt
Succeeded byVíctor Merino Rojas
In office
September 12, 2016 (2016-09-12) – August 22, 2018 (2018-08-22)
PresidentMichelle Bachelet (2016–2018)
Sebastián Piñera (2018–2018)
Preceded byPatricia Arriagada Villouta
Succeeded byMaría Soledad Frindt
Personal details
Born
Dorothy Aurora Pérez Gutiérrez

(1976-03-03) March 3, 1976 (age 49)
Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile Chile
SpouseFabián López Paredes
Children2
EducationLiceo Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra
Alma mater University of Chile
ProfessionLawyer

Dorothy Aurora Pérez Gutiérrez (born March 3, 1976) is a Chilean lawyer, jurist, and academic. [1] Since November 6, 2024, she has served as Comptroller General of the Republic, becoming the first woman to hold this position since the creation of the Comptroller's office in 1927.[2][3]

Biography

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Family and Education

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She was born on 3 March 1976 in Santiago. She is married to Fabián López Paredes, a retired major of the Carabineros de Chile and a helicopter pilot. The couple has two children.[4]

She completed her secondary education at Liceo Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra in Santiago, graduating in 1992.[5] She later studied Law at the University of Chile, earning her law degree in April 2004.[6] Upon graduating from the Faculty of Law of the University of Chile, she received the highest distinction in her final exam.[6]

She holds a Master's degree in Management, with a specialization in Control, from the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (1996), and a Master’s degree in Management and Public Policy from the Adolfo Ibáñez University (1998).[7] Additionally, she earned a postgraduate diploma in Economic Administrative Law, with three specializations: Economic Regulation, Public Services, and Environment, from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (2002–2003), a diploma in Artificial Intelligence from the same university, and a diploma in Prevention, Detection, and Investigation of Fraud from the University of Chile.[7]

Professional career

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She has taught law at the University of Chile, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Diego Portales University, among others.[1]

She began her professional career at the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic of Chile, where she worked as a reporting attorney in Committee 3, part of what was formerly the Division of Housing, Urbanism, Public Works and Transport, now known as the Division of Infrastructure and Regulation.[8]

Between 2005 and 2006, she served as a reporting attorney at the Regional Comptroller’s Office of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica Region, and in 2007 she served as head of the Legal Review and Registry Unit in the regional office of Valparaíso Region.[8] In December of that year, she was appointed Regional Comptroller of Valparaíso, a position she held until 2010. She was later promoted to Deputy Head of the Administrative Audit Division and then to Head of the Companies Committee in the Legal Division.[9]

From March 2014 to December 2015, she served as Head of the Legal Division at the Ministry of Education (Chile), during the second administration of Michelle Bachelet, leading the ministry’s legal team. On some occasions, she also acted as Undersecretary of Education, replacing Valentina Quiroga.[5]

In January 2016, she returned to the Comptroller's Office as Chief of Staff to the Comptroller General, and on September 12 of the same year, she was appointed Deputy Comptroller General of the Republic and judge of accounts.[10] In this role, she took on various institutional responsibilities, including coordinating protocol activities and managing official communications, as well as supervising and reporting on these areas according to internal regulations.[11]

In 2018, disagreements arose within the Comptroller’s Office, including disputes over the use of the institutional image on social media and the graphic character “Contralorito,” which Pérez criticized due to its content and possible copyright issues.[12] According to testimony Pérez later gave in court, the Comptroller was also upset because government officials contacted her directly.[13]

In August 2018, Comptroller General Jorge Bermúdez requested her resignation after it was reported she had been summoned as a witness by the Public Ministry of Chile in the investigation into the so-called Carabineros fraud, an institution whose oversight was indirectly linked to a unit she had previously led.[14] In response, Pérez filed a protection appeal for arbitrary dismissal, represented by attorney Ciro Colombara. The appeal was upheld by the Court of Appeals of Chile and confirmed by the Supreme Court of Chile, ordering her reinstatement.[15] After her reinstatement, her functions were reassigned, focusing mainly on her role as judge of accounts.[11]

According to public records, in her 2022 declaration of interests, Pérez stated that she had adopted abstention measures regarding matters related to Carabineros due to her spouse’s previous employment with that institution.[5]

She served as Acting Comptroller General from December 18, 2023, to November 4, 2024, during a vacancy in the titular office.[16]

After being nominated by the President of the Republic, Gabriel Boric, and confirmed by the Senate of Chile, Dorothy Pérez Gutiérrez has held the position of Comptroller General of the Republic since November 6, 2024, for the period 2024–2032.[17] Her appointment was highlighted by public figures such as former President Michelle Bachelet, who praised her career and commitment to transparency.[18]

Management as Comptroller General of the Republic

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Since her appointment in November 2024, Dorothy Pérez has focused her management on institutional modernization, strengthening preventive control, and oversight in sectors such as health, education, and local governments. In her first official speech, she addressed the need to adapt the functioning of the Comptroller's Office to current standards of transparency and efficiency in public administration.[19]

Among the actions developed during her management is an investigation into the fraudulent use of medical leave by public officials, which triggered the political scandal known as the Medical Leave Case. According to data provided by the Comptroller's Office, between 2023 and 2024 more than 25,000 cases were detected of public employees who allegedly left the country while on medical leave. As a result, 6,600 administrative inquiries were opened, and approximately 1,100 resignations occurred, some involving senior positions.[20]

The investigation was based on cross-checking information between exit records provided by the Investigations Police (PDI) and the medical leave licenses issued by the Superintendency of Social Security (Suseso), reviewing over five million medical leaves and more than one million migration records.[21]

In a presentation before the Senate, Pérez highlighted the need to expand the Comptroller’s oversight powers, a proposal that generated debate in political and legal circles, aimed at strengthening mechanisms for supervising state resources. The information gathered was forwarded to the Public Ministry and the Council of State Defense (CDE) for possible initiation of inquiries and application of disciplinary measures.[22]

Cross-checking medical leave with casinos, parks and traffic fines

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In June 2025, the Office of the Comptroller General launched a second phase of the so-called "Medical Leave Case". This new stage expanded the original investigation — initially focused on cross-referencing medical leave records with immigration data — by incorporating additional sources such as casino entry logs, visits to national parks, and traffic fines issued in regions different from the employee’s place of residence during their medical leave period.[23][24]

Comptroller Pérez explained before the Investigative Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile that this measure seeks to strengthen preventive oversight and "dissuade public employees" from abusing medical leave benefits. According to her statements, cases were detected where individuals engaged in activities incompatible with their reported medical condition, such as gambling at casinos, visiting recreational parks, or driving across regions during their leave.[23][24][25]

This new phase builds on the findings of the first investigation carried out between 2023 and 2024, which involved cross-referencing over five million medical leave records with approximately one million migration records provided by the Investigative Police of Chile (PDI). That operation led to the identification of more than 25,000 public employees who allegedly left the country while on medical leave. As a result, 6,600 administrative disciplinary proceedings were initiated and more than 1,100 resignations were registered, including several high-ranking officials.[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Who is Dorothy Pérez? The first Comptroller General of the Republic of Chile". Diario Usach (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  2. ^ "Senate ratifies DPerez - News - www.contraloria.cl". www.contraloria.cl. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  3. ^ "Senate ratifies Dorothy Pérez as Comptroller General | Senate of the Republic of Chile". www.senado.cl. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  4. ^ "Boric seeks to confirm Dorothy Pérez as head of the Comptroller's Office". www.t13.cl (in Spanish). 2024-03-08. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
  5. ^ a b c "The return of Dorothy Pérez: Who is the lawyer proposed by Boric to head the Comptroller's Office". Ex-Ante. 2024-10-10. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  6. ^ a b "Our graduate Dorothy Pérez becomes the first woman to assume the position of Comptroller General of the Republic – Faculty of Law – University of Chile". derecho.uchile.cl (in Spanish). 2024-11-05. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  7. ^ a b Comptroller General of the Republic. "Comptroller General". Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Quién es Dorothy Pérez, la subcontralora que se negó a presentar su renuncia a Bermúdez". Emol (in Spanish). 2018-08-23. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  9. ^ "Boric appoints Dorothy Pérez as new Comptroller General of the Republic | Diario Financiero". www.df.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  10. ^ "Dorothy Pérez, the new key holder of the Comptroller's Office". La Tercera (in Spanish). 2023-12-23. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  11. ^ a b "Deputy Comptroller General - www.contraloria.cl". www.contraloria.cl. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  12. ^ "Dorothy Pérez, former Deputy Comptroller: "The Comptroller made a mistake, both in form and substance"". La Tercera (in Spanish). 2018-09-02. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  13. ^ "Ongoing dispute at the Comptroller's Office: why Dorothy Pérez cannot speak directly to the press". BioBioChile - La Red de Prensa Más Grande de Chile (in Spanish). 2018-12-16. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  14. ^ "Tensions in the Comptroller's Office: Bermúdez requested resignation of Deputy Comptroller Pérez". El Mostrador (in Spanish). 2018-08-21. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  15. ^ "Setback for Bermúdez: Supreme Court orders reinstatement of former Deputy Comptroller and declares her dismissal illegal". Emol (in Spanish). 2018-11-30. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  16. ^ "Dorothy Pérez assumed as Acting Comptroller: restructured the agency". Cooperativa.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  17. ^ "Senate confirms Dorothy Pérez as Comptroller General | Senate of the Republic of Chile". www.senado.cl. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  18. ^ ""Makes history": Bachelet congratulates Dorothy Pérez as the first female Comptroller General of the Republic". BioBioChile - La Red de Prensa Más Grande de Chile (in Spanish). 2024-11-06. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  19. ^ Chile, C. N. N. "Dorothy Pérez assumes office as Comptroller General with promises of institutional modernization and increased oversight". CNN Chile. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  20. ^ Tercera, La (2025-05-23). "Medical leave: conflict escalates and Comptroller opens investigation against Suseso, Compin, and Fonasa for possible control failures". La Tercera. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
  21. ^ "The keys to the scandal that outrages Chile: the foreign trips of 25,000 public officials while on medical leave". El País Chile. 2025-05-28. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  22. ^ "Health Commission and Comptroller's report on medical leave: focusing on the role of public administration control | Senate of the Republic of Chile". www.senado.cl. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  23. ^ a b S.A.P, El Mercurio (2025-07-01). "Contraloría investigates casino visits, park entries and traffic fines of public employees on medical leave". Emol (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  24. ^ a b "Casinos, national parks and traffic fines: Dorothy Pérez's new move in the "Medical Leave Case"". ADN Radio (in Spanish). 2025-06-30. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  25. ^ "Medical Leave Case now targets those who stayed in Chile: officials gambled in casinos and visited national parks". El Desconcierto (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  26. ^ "The scandal that outraged Chile: the foreign trips of 25,000 public employees on medical leave". El País Chile (in Spanish). 2025-05-28. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
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