Is There a Strategy to Shield Chadwick in the Hermosilla Case? Behind-the-Scenes of the Agreement Between Prosecutors and Guerra to Close the Investigation

Original article: ¿Estrategia para proteger a Chadwick en el Caso Hermosilla? Revelan trasfondo del acuerdo entre fiscalía y Guerra para cerrar la causa

Hermosilla Case: Allegations Arise That Agreement with Guerra Aims to Protect Chadwick and Halt the Investigation

On Wednesday, July 15, the 4th Criminal Court of Santiago denied the request from former prosecutor Manuel Guerra‘s defense to amend his preventive detention. Guerra has been formally charged with multiple counts of bribery, violation of secrecy, and misuse of authority within the framework of the Hermosilla Case, as reported by El Ciudadano on Saturday, July 18. During the hearing, the Prosecutor’s Office confirmed an agreement with the defense for a fast-track trial, which would allow Guerra to serve his sentence while at liberty.

See also / Connection to “Hermosilla Case”: Court Denies Request to Modify Preventive Detention for Ex-Prosecutor Guerra, as Prosecutor’s Office Reveals Agreement to Conclude the Case

Claimant attorney Mauricio Daza firmly opposed the change in precautionary measures and harshly criticized the agreement between the Prosecutor’s Office and the defense. “It is extremely striking that they seek to conclude the investigation regarding Guerra through an agreement that would grant him a five-year sentence, with the possibility of serving it in freedom,” Daza stated, reminding that “we are dealing with the most serious corruption issues revealed within the Public Ministry.”

Daza emphasized that the very resolution that imposed preventive detention established that Guerra risks sentences exceeding 10 years of actual incarceration in an oral trial, a resolution “unanimously upheld by the Santiago Court of Appeals.” According to the attorney, the Prosecutor’s Office appears to be negotiating “behind closed doors and under the radar” a pre-arranged penalty, instead of pursuing a landmark conviction that clarifies the corruption network.

The claimant warned that the agreement seeks to “replicate scenarios from cases like SQM or Penta,” leaving the only formally indicted individual outside the process and “significantly weakening the investigation regarding those who bribed him, sidelining key figures like Luis Hermosilla and Andrés Chadwick.” Daza accused that “not only is the Prosecutor’s Office providing preferential treatment to a ‘former colleague’, but it effectively deactivates the investigation into Chadwick, who many likely wish to protect.”

The attorney questioned the role of the head of the anti-corruption unit of the National Prosecutor’s Office, Eugenio Campos, “the main promoter of this agreement,” and warned that the claimant will oppose “any resolution that entails an early ending of the case without thoroughly clarifying the corruption network.” The next hearing to finalize the fast-track trial is scheduled for October 7 before the 7th Criminal Court of Santiago.