While the cameras and the JUNTOS crew wander through its hallways, the partners of Admiral One detail how their technology seeks to prevent the La Polar case from being repeated in real life.
They lent their offices on Paseo Ahumada to film Que Se Acabe Todo, but their bond with the film goes beyond square footage. For the partners of Admiral One, this story is the perfect example of what they dedicate their lives to avoiding.
This commitment to integrity did not stop at mere discourse. Admiral One literally opened the doors of its offices on Paseo Ahumada so the production could have a real setting. By providing their space for the shoot, the consultancy firm not only facilitates logistics but also validates the urgency of telling this story.
“The La Polar case represents everything we try to avoid,” declares Jorge Álvarez, CEO of Admiral One. “It was rotten from the board of directors down. There were perverse incentives and, above all, there were no secure channels for reporting. If someone wanted to speak up, they had to go to the same boss who was committing the fraud or leave a piece of paper in a mailbox in the bathroom.”
In simple terms, their company functions as a corporate conduct “insurance.” If individuals have basic rules (do not kill, do not steal, do not run a red light), companies have them too. The problem is that, in the corporate world, complying with those rules used to be a matter of paperwork or a forgotten Excel sheet. Admiral One digitizes that process to turn it into an early warning system.
The Digital “Jiminy Cricket” and the Corporate Death Penalty
Historically, the compliance area was the last car of the train in companies, seen only as bureaucracy. Admiral One seeks to change that by acting as the “Jiminy Cricket” of organizations: a digital conscience that tells you what can and cannot be done, and furthermore, keeps a record of everything.
The key is traceability. In the La Polar case, board meeting minutes could be modified or reports were lost along the way. “What we seek is for paperwork to be impossible to manipulate,” says José Camus, COO of the company. Their system digitizes minutes, reports, and approval processes, creating an indelible footprint. If someone approves something improper, it is recorded who it was, when, and how.
The landscape has changed drastically with the new Economic Crimes Law (21.595). The days of “ethics classes” are over. Now, executives can face effective prison sentences of up to 20 years without mitigating factors for irreproachable conduct.
But the risk is not only for individuals, but for the company itself. The law introduces a concept that Admiral One calls the “death penalty for legal entities.” If a company fails to demonstrate having robust internal controls and commits serious crimes, it can be forcibly dissolved: assets are sold, the taps are turned off, and the business ends.
“Today, the only real measure to protect oneself is to digitize and automate control,” concludes José Camus. Supporting Que Se Acabe Todo is part of that crusade: showing the brutality of fraud to educate about the urgent need for integrity.