Santiago de Chile, March 5 (PL-RHC)-- The Chilean Attorney General's Office began on Thursday the process of 10 defendants on the Penta case, a scandal of illegal financing involving Chilean politicians and businesspeople for months.

The case of alleged tax fraud and illegal payments of millions of dollars to electoral campaigns of right-wing politicians has kept numerous members of the Independent Democratic Union (UDI) on tenterhooks.

The investigation is led by the Attorney General Sabas Chahuan, along with prosecutors Carlos Gajardo, Pablo Norambuena and Emiliano Arias. Among the main suspects are Carlos Alberto Delano and Carlos Eugenio Lavin, partners and founders of Penta and accused of tax offenses and bribery.

Paul Wagner, undersecretary of Mining during the administration of former President Sebastian Piñera, is also accused of bribery and money laundering as is Hugo Bravo, former general manager of Penta, is accused of tax offenses, bribery and money laundering.