The Council of the National Institute of Human Rights (INDH) filed a complaint for influence peddling before the Seventh Guarantee Court of Santiago. The judicial action arises as a result of the revealing WhatsApp chats of the former judge of the Court of Appeals of Copiapó, Juan Antonio Poblete, in which he intervened in the appointment of María Teresa Letelier as a minister of the Supreme Court, requesting help from the former Minister of Defense , Mario Desbordes.
Former judge Poblete has been charged with intrusion into private life and ideological falsification of a public document, derived from his participation in the so-called “Operation Surveyor.” This operation, directed by the Army Intelligence Directorate, consisted of telephone espionage of journalist Mauricio Weibel, known for his book “Treason to the Homeland,” which addresses the diversion of funds from the reserved Copper law. Since December 2023, the INDH has been the plaintiff in this case.
In a context where judicial independence is in question, Weibel addressed the issue in a new chapter of Al Pan Pan with Mirna Schindler. “Juan Poblete is not only in preventive detention, but he was imprisoned by his own colleagues, with the people he worked with,” the journalist highlighted, along with pointing out the relationship between the questioned former judge and Minister Letelier.
Mauricio Weibel pointed out that the actions of the former judge “seriously compromised the independence of the Judiciary.” The author of “The Secret Plot of Pacogate” also pointed out that Poblete even proposed falsifying documents to irregularly incorporate his telephone number, suggesting putting the name of an irregular Bolivian immigrant instead of his own to proceed with the intervention.
Weibel reiterated the seriousness of the situation: “What is happening with former judge Poblete shows that there is a serious problem of judicial independence and that is a serious problem of state capture.”
The warning is clear: if irregularities in the judiciary are not stopped, impunity could take root, weakening trust in institutions and justice in Chile.
Letelier “pledged loyalty to his friend”
Poblete was formalized by the prosecutor’s office on May 3 of last year, for 12 crimes of illicit interception of communications, along with the former head of the DINE, Schafik Nazal. He was in preventive detention for six weeks, until the Supreme Court ordered his release—which would later be revoked—arguing that the prosecution had not first invoked a complaint by chapters (see appeal).
Among the signatories of the ruling that granted freedom to Poblete, appears Letelier, who in 2021 reached the Supreme Court supported by the lobby deployed by Poblete himself.
Judge María Teresa Letelier’s vote in favor of Poblete’s release was also the subject of harsh criticism from Weibel. She claimed that Letelier “pledged loyalty to her friend” and that she “had an absolutely legal obligation to have disqualified herself and did not do so.” In that sense, she stressed the seriousness of political leaders and judges defending the commission of crimes and warned about the “corrosion of the Supreme Court.”
Weibel questioned the Supreme Court’s actions in deciding to send Poblete to Copiapó — where he was transferred amid the Army espionage scandal — instead of keeping him in Santiago, comparing it to the practice of transferring priests accused of abuse to other parishes. . In addition, he expressed concern about attacks on the press, comparing them to the practices of the governments of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua.
Finally, Weibel warned that “If we don’t stop this, impunity will take hold.”“. He emphasized that the current situation shows a clear division between “second-class Chileans, and others who are first and premium classes,” and that some judges have sworn loyalty to certain political actors, compromising the dignity of their positions.
Furthermore, he harshly criticized Mario Desbordes, describing it as “very serious” that a political leader defends the commission of crimes and acknowledges being aware of the falsification of documents, arguing that “it is okay to investigate journalists” who denounce corruption.
It is worth mentioning that the former Minister of Defense of the Piñera government addressed the revelations about his involvement in the appointment of María Teresa Letelier to the Supreme Court, denying all illegality. Although he claimed that she intervened only before the Senate vote, published chats show the opposite.
Her friendship with Poblete was not invoked by Minister Letelier when, a year ago (June 19, 2023), she joined the criminal court that heard and resolved the amparo presented by Poblete’s defense, granting her freedom. However, this freedom was later revoked by the Public Ministry and the plaintiffs, once the chapter complaint against the former magistrate was resolved.
According to Mauricio Weibel, “what this reveals is that if someone has a lawsuit that compromises these supreme authorities, they are going to lose it.”
