OTJ Files Complaint with Supreme Court Over Controversial $472 Million Direct Contract Awarded to Replai SpA

Original article: OTJ presenta denuncia ante la Corte Suprema por millonario contrato adjudicado por trato directo

OTJ Requests Supreme Court to Open Investigation Against Ministers Adelita Ravanales Arriagada and María Gajardo Harboe Over Multi-Million Dollar Contract to Company

The Organization of Judicial Workers (OTJ) has formally lodged a complaint with the Supreme Court against Ministers Adelita Ravanales Arriagada and María Gajardo Harboe, requesting the initiation of an administrative investigation regarding alleged irregularities in the awarding of a direct contract valued at over $472 million.

According to the organization, the Judiciary assigned a contract for modernizing the Unified Sentencing Portal directly to Replai SpA. At the time of the award, this company had only been active for one year, lacked verifiable prior experience, showed no billing records, and did not have adequate financial backing to provide performance guarantees. Despite these shortcomings, the contract was justified under the rationale of «trust derived from proven experience,» which OTJ argues is not applicable here.

The complaint elaborates on details previously published by Radio Bío-Bío in January 2026, highlighting the alleged involvement of both ministers in advocating for the project before the Higher Council of the Judicial Administrative Corporation (CAPJ), which included their participation in extraordinary sessions and direct engagement with representatives of the awarded company. Furthermore, it questions the subsequent approval of alternative guarantee mechanisms, given the company’s inability to access traditional financial instruments.

Additionally, the document notes that an attempt was made in January 2024 to increase the contract value to over $1 billion, a proposal that ultimately did not succeed. In response to internal reports of possible irregularities, measures were purportedly taken to investigate the whistleblower, which the organization views as an effort to stifle internal oversight.

In its submission, the OTJ claims that the incidents could result in serious disciplinary consequences, including violations of public procurement laws, breaches of integrity principles, misuse of influence, lack of recusal, reckless management of public funds, and violations of the Judicial Code of Ethics. Consequently, they have demanded the immediate opening of an administrative investigation, the suspension of the ministers during the inquiry, and the imposition of the harshest penalties permissible under the legal framework, pending the investigation’s outcomes.

Finally, the organization has requested to be formally notified of any resolutions that the Supreme Court may adopt regarding this complaint.

Review the complete complaint here (PDF)

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