Bank Records Reveal Sergio Yáber Paid $74 Million in Monthly Installments to Minister Antonio Ulloa

Original article: Cartolas revelan que Yáber pagó $74 millones en mensualidades al ministro Antonio Ulloa

A continuous flow of money, documented in bank statements, links suspended Real Estate Conservator of Puente Alto, Sergio Yáber, to former minister Antonio Ulloa over a span of more than six years. The records detail monthly transfers totaling $74.8 million, an essential fact overlooked in the recent Supreme Court proceedings and the constitutional accusation that led to Ulloa’s dismissal.

According to investigative media Reportea, the payments began in February 2019, merely three months after Yáber took office, and continued uninterrupted until 2025. This financial relationship is framed within a close friendship between the conservator and the former magistrate, involving overseas trips and Yáber’s efforts to prevent Ulloa’s departure from the judiciary, as indicated by phone intercepts.

Payments Under Investigation and the «Godchild»

The first transfer from Yáber’s account at Itaú Bank to Ulloa’s account at BCI was for $300,000 on February 13, 2019. A month later, on March 5, the amount increased to $1 million, which remained consistent for the next 74 months, bringing the total to $74.8 million.

References in these banking operations frequently mention Ulloa’s daughter. “Hugs and love to my goddaughter,” reads a transfer note from April 5, 2024. A prior transfer on July 5, 2022, states: “Hug, buddy, love to my goddaughter.”

When asked by Reportea about the nature and purpose of these payments, Antonio Ulloa chose not to provide details, stating he would give his eventual version to the prosecutor. “I have no comment regarding this matter. Any details will be provided, should it be determined, to the prosecutor. I have been linked through the press to high-profile criminal cases. I am not involved in any of them nor have any relation. I have already been investigated and sanctioned. I have submitted to and will continue to submit to the authorities and trust that the facts will be recognized as they occurred,” he indicated.

Sergio Yáber, for his part, was unavailable for questions or comments.

Dinner Preceding the Appointment and Payments

The bond between Yáber and Ulloa dates back before Yáber assumed the role of Real Estate Conservator of Puente Alto. When testifying before the Los Lagos Regional Prosecutor’s Office on October 23, he recounted the origin of his work relationship with Gonzalo Migueles, partner of former Supreme Court minister Ángela Vivanco.

“In mid-2018, we coincidentally met in La Serena; Gonzalo was with his wife, Angela Vivanco, and a mutual friend named Antonio Ulloa. During that meeting, they came to my house for dinner, and I asked what he was doing; he said he was looking for work because things had gone poorly, and he had gone bankrupt with the poultry production factory,” Yáber recalled.

It was during that dinner that, according to Yáber, the job offer to Migueles emerged, contingent on Yáber’s own appointment.

“Thus, knowing that he was an accountant or certified accountant, which I cannot confirm as he described himself as such, I mentioned that due to health reasons for my oldest son, who is autistic, I required a transfer to Santiago, and I was applying for the position of Real Estate Conservator of Puente Alto, which was in the shortlist and could be appointed. I offered that if I were designated, we could discuss a potential position in my office. I discussed this situation with Gonzalo and Angela,” he detailed.

“In this context, right after I took office as Real Estate Conservator of Puente Alto in November 2018, I had a conversation with Angela Vivanco Martínez, who indicated and reiterated that her husband or partner was unemployed and asked if I could have the opportunity to hire him once I assumed my role, to get to know my office, and always with the understanding that if I needed staff, I could remember her husband,” he added, according to the article by journalist Nicolás Sepúlveda for Reportea.

Yáber did not mention in his statement whether Vivanco, Migueles, or Ulloa made efforts to secure his confirmation in the position. However, payments commenced post-appointment on November 6, 2018. Yáber transferred $3 million monthly to Migueles for alleged administrative tasks, along with the previously mentioned monthly $1 million transfers to Ulloa that have now come to light.

Antonio Ulloa: A Connected and Sanctioned Minister

Antonio Ulloa is known for his influence within the judiciary. The inquiry ordered by the Supreme Court against him established that, through his chats with former legal advisor to the Ministry of Interior Luis Hermosilla during Sebastián Piñera’s second administration, he influenced the appointment of at least ten court ministers. He is also featured in other conversations in possession of the prosecutor, intervening to secure the appointment of notaries.

Although the Supreme Court could not reach a quorum to dismiss him, Congress approved a constitutional accusation against him for “notable abandonment of duties” on November 10. None of these proceedings took into account Yáber’s payments due to them being previously unknown facts.

Moreover, the prosecutor found, through wiretaps on Yáber, that the conservator made efforts with Supreme Court minister Arturo Prado to try and prevent Ulloa’s removal from the highest tribunal and even attempted to garner support for him in Congress.

The summary ordered by the Supreme Court also revealed that he leaked information to Hermosilla regarding cases of interest to the lawyer and did not disqualify himself when reviewing processes involving other lawyers close to him, such as Samuel Donoso and Mario Vargas.

Ongoing Investigations

Former minister Ulloa is under formal investigation for the crime of influence peddling by the Valparaíso Regional Prosecutor’s Office. This case included raids last March on his office in the Santiago Court and the Constitutional Court, where the phone of Minister Héctor Mery, who was in charge of the Judicial Division of the Ministry of Justice, was confiscated.

Yáber’s payments to Ulloa have come to light amidst a broader investigation conducted by the Los Lagos Regional Prosecutor’s Office regarding the alleged payment of bribes to former minister Ángela Vivanco for rulings that benefited the consortium Belaz Movitec in their legal battle with Codelco, which forced the state copper company to pay $17 billion.

This investigation allowed the lifting of Yáber’s banking secrecy, uncovering not only these transfers but also payments to other political figures, such as Senator Matías Walker and Republican Deputy Cristián Araya totaling $1.7 million, prompting the opening of new inquiries.

In the meantime, Sergio Yáber remains suspended from his position by the San Miguel Court of Appeals, which has opened an inquiry to investigate all these facts, which have come to light thanks to the investigations by the Public Ministry and reports published by the media.