Ex-Minister Verónica Sabaj’s Legal Case Reaches Agreement; Verdict Scheduled for January 27

Original article: Querella contra exministra Sabaj queda en acuerdo y fallo se conocerá el 27 de enero

The Santiago Court of Appeals has left the criminal complaint against former minister of the Santiago Court of Appeals, Verónica Sabaj, pending, with accusations of aggravated bribery, judicial wrongdoing, and violation of secrets.

The Ninth Chamber of the court conducted the review after two previous postponements due to the disqualification of principal judges.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office claims that Sabaj may have improperly intervened in the handling of court cases, potentially affecting their outcomes. In this context, the prosecution presented evidence connecting her to lawyer Luis Hermosilla, including conversations where Sabaj allegedly provided recommendations regarding court configurations, considering factors unrelated to legal merits, such as the political bias of some judges.

The hearing lasted just over two hours, during which Sabaj’s defense team—led by former Justice Minister Isidro Solís—questioned whether these communications had a real impact on judicial processes, an argument they suggested could weaken the charge of judicial wrongdoing.

Following the session, Solís indicated that the primary argument presented by the defense carries significant procedural relevance, which the court must resolve.

He emphasized that since this involves a prerequisite for procedure and a precautionary action, the court needs to perform a particularly rigorous analysis before advancing the charges, assessing whether the alleged facts indeed fit the criminal types cited.

He added that this is a substantive decision, and the court has communicated that the ruling will be disclosed on January 27, leaving only to await the outcome.

Meanwhile, Eugenio Campos, director of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Unit of the National Prosecutor’s Office, defended the seriousness of the chapters complaint against former minister Verónica Sabaj, asserting that there is extremely serious evidence supporting the criminal action.

According to the prosecutor, the investigation includes «requests for information, statements, communications via WhatsApp, and public documents». These provided the Valparaíso Regional Prosecutor’s Office the grounds to file charges for aggravated bribery, violation of secrecy, and possible judicial wrongdoing.

Campos stated that the arguments presented were strengthened during the hearing, and after listening to all parties involved, the Court of Appeals decided to postpone the ruling until January 27. The investigated incidents are the same that led to her dismissal from the Judiciary, a penalty imposed by the Supreme Court last September.