Power Dynamics Exposed: Hermosilla–Vargas Chats Uncover PDI Leaks Favoring SQM and Judicial Manipulations

Original article: Trama de poder: chats Hermosilla–Vargas revelan filtración desde la PDI a favor de SQM y maniobras para cargos en cortes

WhatsApp conversations between attorney Luis Hermosilla and criminal lawyer Mario Vargas have become pivotal in an ongoing investigation led by the Valparaíso Regional Prosecutor’s Office regarding charges of bribery, influence peddling, and misconduct. These exchanges, spanning from 2015 to 2023, reveal a complex web of power involving at least eight appointments across various courts in the country, a leak from the Investigative Police (PDI) intended to benefit mining company SQM in a case concerning illegal water extraction, and lobbying efforts for the appointment of Héctor Barros to the Southern Prosecutor’s Office of the Metropolitan Region.

These disclosures hold significant relevance following Vargas’s attempts to prevent these communications from being used as evidence. In April 2024, the attorney filed a protective action and stated on T13 Radio that these chats should be destroyed.

«I believe there is no jurisdiction here; all the information on Mr. Hermosilla’s phone should be destroyed because the prosecutor’s office cannot analyze information for which it is not authorized,» he asserted.

«We cannot go on a witch hunt, investigating everyone when no wrongdoing has occurred and there is no evidence of a crime,» he added.

However, his request was denied, and the chats now play a central role in the investigation.

The 51-year-old lawyer, a graduate of the Universidad Católica de Temuco, is known for defending high-profile cases including «Parived» (Marco Antonio López), Hernán Calderón «Junior», priest O’Reilly, and Carabineros accused of human rights violations. Additionally, during the social upheaval in October 2019, he founded the Carabinero’s Defense Office (Defcar).

Vargas contended that his chats with Hermosilla do not contain evidence of criminal activity; however, the digital outlet Reportea.Cl accessed the complete backup of their conversations. The 1,525 pages, covering the period from 2025 to 2023, have uncovered a plot involving attorney interventions in confidential cases and maneuvering to influence judicial appointments in the courts and tribunals across the nation.

Leaked Information Favoring SQM: «We Have All Hands to Fix It»

According to journalist Nicolás Sepúlveda’s report for Reportea.Cl, on July 11, 2017, Mario Vargas urgently contacted Luis Hermosilla via WhatsApp with a revealing message: «Hi Lucho, hey, I was contacted by Bidema (Investigative Brigade for Environmental Crimes of the PDI) who told me that SQM has a problem with a water usurpation case and that we have all hands to fix it.»

Vargas went on to explain the opportunity: «They asked me if I knew any lawyer from the company; maybe we can do something. SQM gave power to lawyer Rodolfo Cádiz, but he doesn’t have much ability to resolve it. If we can do something, it would be great.» Along with this message, the lawyer attached five photographs of documents related to the issue SQM was facing regarding water usurpation. Hermosilla’s response was immediate: «I’ll be back on Sunday. Let’s talk then. I need to do this personally.»

The mining company faced a serious accusation from the Environmental Superintendency (SMA) for illegally extracting water from the Salar de Llamara, located in the Pampa del Tamarugal, Tarapacá Region. Two weeks prior to Vargas’s message, on June 29, 2017, the SMA had rejected the compliance program submitted by SQM.

The leak from Bidema came at a critical juncture: on July 20, 2017, the company filed a complaint against the SMA’s decision to the Second Environmental Tribunal, which was approved in August 2018. Two indigenous communities (Aymara of Quillagua and Quechua of Huatacondo) appealed to the Supreme Court, which rejected their claims and ruled in favor of SQM in December 2019.

The chats reveal that Vargas’s collaboration with Hermosilla to assist SQM included further actions. On October 27, 2015, Hermosilla requested assistance: «Mario, yesterday a new complaint was filed by a minority shareholder in SQM in the Fourth Guarantee Court. Can you get it?»

Vargas’s response was prompt: «I sent you the complaint, resolution, and a request for lifting banking secrecy.» These documents, particularly those that authorize lifting banking secrecy, are restricted information for those not involved in judicial proceedings. Reportea.Cl noted that «it is unclear how Mario Vargas obtained this reserved information.»

Influence on Judicial Appointments

The chats document systemic interventions in the judge appointment processes in courts and tribunals throughout the country.

According to the records, Vargas and Hermosilla supported the nominations of: Mario Carroza, Jean Pierre Matus, and María Teresa Letelier to the Supreme Court; José Delgado to the Court of Arica; Rafael Andrade to the Court of Concepción; Antonio Ulloa and Verónica Sabaj to the Santiago Court; and Kerima Schichaschwili Carvajal (Vargas’s cousin) to a court in Vallenar, among others.

The methods utilized by the duo of lawyers to influence appointments ranged from sending resumes and coordinating meetings to direct pressure messages. On March 7, 2019, Vargas enthusiastically wrote to Hermosilla: «We already have five ministers,» just before sending him the resume of Nicole Petit-Laurent, who was applying to the 4th Guarantee Court of Santiago.

The influence was particularly emphasized on the appointments of family and associates. On August 21, 2019, Vargas reminded Hermosilla: «Lucho, please remember my cousin; this should be resolved today or tomorrow.» He was referring to Kerima Schichaschwili Carvajal, his cousin, who was applying to the Second Court of Letters in Vallenar.

When the first attempt failed, Vargas insisted: «Cumpa, I just got word that Ubaldo, the judge appointed in Vallenar, resigned from the shortlist because he did not want to move his whole family to Vallenar; therefore, the opportunity opens up to appoint Kerima… Please, let’s try to help her.» Hermosilla’s response was: «Right away.» On October 15, 2019, Kerima Schichaschwili officially took office as a judge in Vallenar.

Lobbying for Prosecutor Barros

According to Nicolás Sepúlveda’s report, the chats also mention Prosecutor Héctor Barros, currently the Southern Regional Prosecutor of the Metropolitan Region and head of the specialized team combating organized crime in the Public Ministry.

«Lucho, I am having lunch with Barros, candidate for the southern prosecutor’s office,» Vargas wrote to Hermosilla on March 12, 2019, asking if they could have coffee with him, to which the lawyer under investigation for bribery, money laundering, influence peddling, and tax crimes replied: «Delighted.»

Vargas then scheduled the meeting: «Thursday afternoon. Does 3 PM work for you? (José) Morales (Deputy Prosecutor of the Northern Center) Barros and you. According to him, he should be under consideration for the shortlist,» he noted.

It is important to mention that since the conversations about him took place between both attorneys, in May 2019, Héctor Barros was appointed as Southern Regional Prosecutor.

When asked by Reportea.Cl about Vargas’s and Morales’s possible involvement in his campaign and whether he ever discussed this matter with Hermosilla, Barros responded:

«I personally led my candidacy for the position of Southern Metropolitan Regional Prosecutor in 2019, based on my operational experience in the Prosecutor’s Office since the beginning of the Criminal Procedure Reform in the country in 2001—where I was the candidate with the most years of service within the institution—and I have no knowledge nor do I take responsibility for conversations that third parties may have had about me,» he stated in a written response.

He also denied having met Hermosilla: «I did not have any meetings with lawyer Luis Hermosilla, neither inside nor outside the Prosecutor’s Office, nor did I even coincide with him at that time in any criminal case as an intervener.»

Watch Case and Defense of Parived

Among the 1,525 pages of WhatsApp chats, it is recorded that in January 2022, Vargas sent Hermosilla statements from protected witnesses in the Watch Case, which investigated a network trafficking in jewelry and watches extracted from cities like New York, Madrid, and Tokyo, which were later sold in Chile.

Vargas represented Marco Antonio López (“Parived”), the then-partner of model and television presenter Tonka Tomicic, who was at the center of the investigation after being identified as one of those who had purchased the stolen watches.

According to the chats, on January 13, 2022, the attorney shared with Hermosilla the contact of the prosecutor handling the case, Eduardo Baeza, and subsequently sent three statements from protected witnesses.

According to Reportea.Cl, the statement of one of the protected witnesses (David Contreras Vega) was linked to a strand of the case involving the sale of fake passports at the Civil Registry, which thieves used to travel abroad.

Nearly three months later, in April 2022, La Tercera reported that Hermosilla had taken on the representation of Tonka Tomicic after she was investigated as an accused in the case.

In March 2025, Mario Vargas reached an agreement with the prosecutor’s office, and Parived was only convicted of receiving stolen property and tax crimes, meaning he will serve his sentence under probation, while his ex-partner was not charged.

Impact of Chats Between Vargas and Hermosilla

The conversations between Mario Vargas and Luis Hermosilla expose mechanisms of influence operating at various levels of the Chilean State, undermining judicial independence and equality before the law.

The judicial investigation continues, while the 1,525 pages of chats serve as key evidence to unravel a scheme involving lawyers, judges, public officials, and businessmen in alleged crimes of bribery, influence peddling, and misconduct.