Vivanco Testifies in ‘Bielorrusa Scheme’ Case, Denies Any Wrongdoing: «I Did Nothing Illegal While in the Judiciary»

Original article: Vivanco declaró por caso «Muñeca Bierlorrusa» y negó haber recibido pagos: «No hice nada ilícito mientras estaba en el Poder Judicial»

Vivanco stated that the crisis within the Judiciary is a «multifactorial issue» and denied having contributed to it. She also dismissed any meetings with lawyers Vargas and Lagos to receive payments in exchange for favorable rulings for the Chilean-Belarusian Consortium Belaz Movitec (CBM). «I was never invited to that office, I never went, I have never been there, and I have never received anything from them, neither in this office nor outside of it,» she affirmed.

The ousted Supreme Court Minister, Ángela Vivanco, appeared before the San Miguel Court of Appeals on Tuesday to provide her testimony regarding the so-called «Bielorrusa case».

In her statement before the appellate court, the former magistrate denied any illegal actions during her time in the Supreme Court, attributing her removal to an «express» and prejudicial process.

This hearing was part of the administrative investigation following Vivanco’s repeated mentions in the summary against property registrar Sergio Yáber.

The Southern Central Prosecutor’s Office is focused on a potential corruption scheme where lawyers Mario Vargas and Eduardo Lagos, representatives of the Chilean-Belarusian Consortium Belaz Movitec (CBM), allegedly made payments to the former minister through her partner, Gonzalo Migueles, who is currently in preventive detention at the Capitán Yáber annex for alleged crimes including influence peddling, money laundering, bribery, and corruption.

According to the prosecutor’s office, the illicit payments aimed for Vivanco to sign a series of rulings and resolutions between 2023 and 2024 against Codelco in a lawsuit regarding a failed tender, which forced the state copper company to pay more than 17 billion pesos to the consortium.

The payments for these favors are reported to exceed 90 million pesos, as detected so far, with the money allegedly laundered through operations with Yáber, registrar Yamil Najle, and the owner of a currency exchange, Harold Pizarro.

Vivanco Denies Payments from Vargas and Lagos: «I Have Never Received Anything from Them»

When specifically asked about the bribery allegations, Vivanco denied ever meeting in offices to receive money from the involved lawyers. «I was never invited to that office, I never went, I have never been there, and I have never received anything from them, neither in that office nor outside of it,» she stated.

She also mentioned that her association with Yáber ended in 2024, when the registrar ceased working with her husband.

Recently, it was revealed that Najle provided the Regional Prosecutor’s Office of Los Lagos with a copy of an email that would show Vivanco personally drafted one of the contracts used, according to the Public Ministry, to justify the payments, something the former Supreme Court member also denied.

«I did not send any email to Najle; my partner asked me to review a contract from 2025, when I was no longer a minister, and I sent it to him with my comments, and he is the one who sent it to Najle,» she explained.

Vivanco downplayed the nature of the document, describing it as «a completely ordinary service contract, nothing about it raised my suspicion, and I was asked to review it as a lawyer.»

Regarding her career and the controversial appointment to the Supreme Court in 2021, the ex-magistrate defended her professional record, asserting that her conduct was always upright. «I did not engage in any manipulations or anything similar, and as a result, I do not feel that I did anything illegal to enter the Judiciary, and obviously, I also did nothing illegal while in the Judiciary,» she declared.

«One is entitled to delete any messages or emails deemed necessary»

One of the points that has raised significant suspicion in the investigation is the deletion of information from her personal phone. In response, Vivanco dismissed any malicious concealment.

«There is no conspiracy theory here. One owns their electronic devices and is entitled to delete messages, emails, or anything else they deem necessary,» she argued.

«My Removal Process Was an Express Procedure»

At the conclusion of her statement, and in front of the assembled press outside the court, Vivanco reiterated her criticism of the process that culminated in her dismissal by the Senate, labeling it as summary and flawed.

«My entire removal process was an express procedure, where I was not allowed access to evidence and several steps were skipped, such as having a prior administrative procedure,» she stated.

However, she expressed hope that within the criminal process she would be granted full defense rights.

«I hope that now, in this situation I am in, which is a criminal process, there will truly be rationality to understand and assess it, and consequently, I trust, I have always trusted in justice and continue to trust that there will indeed be a real opportunity to defend myself and that these facts will be duly investigated,» she declared.

The ex-minister also extended her criticism to what she perceives as a widespread phenomenon of public condemnation before a judicial ruling.

«I am very concerned when, in some sense, one ends up not only incriminated, but in some way, declared guilty even before there is a process. That seems to me to be a very serious problem, whether they are Supreme Court ministers, Appeals Court judges, or any other body,» she concluded.