Court Initiates Removal Proceedings Against Sergio Yáber and Notary Rodrigo Ortúzar Over Payments Linked to Angela Vivanco

Original article: Corte abre cuadernos de remoción contra Yáber y el notario Ortúzar por pagos vinculados a Vivanco

The full bench of the San Miguel Court of Appeals unanimously resolved to initiate removal proceedings against Sergio Yáber, the property registrar of Puente Alto, and Rodrigo Ortúzar, a notary in San Miguel. This decision, reached last Friday, is based on findings from an inquiry linked to the so-called Belarus plot, which unveiled a complex network of payments and influence peddling within the judiciary.

The voting, as confirmed by two judges who participated in the session, showed no dissenting opinions. «Not a single judge presented an argument in favor of the sanctioned individuals,» reported the investigative outlet, emphasizing the decisiveness of the ruling.

Currently, the rapporteur of the San Miguel court is drafting the resolution that formalizes the opening of removal proceedings for Yáber and Ortúzar—due to payments linked to former Supreme Court Minister Angela Vivanco—which will be sent to the highest court, that will have the final say on the expulsion of both officials from the judicial system.

It is noteworthy that according to the Public Prosecutor’s investigation, Vivanco, along with her partner Gonzalo Migueles Oteíza, allegedly received at least 90 million pesos while matters were pending in the Supreme Court related to the dispute between state-owned Codelco and the Chilean-Belarusian consortium Belaz Movitec (CBM).

During her tenure as minister, the former magistrate reportedly voted favorably on resolutions that benefited the consortium amidst a litigation regarding a failed bidding, which forced Codelco to disburse close to 17 billion pesos.

Yáber’s Role in an Influence Peddling Network

The court’s decision was based on the findings of an inquiry led by judicial prosecutor Carla Troncoso, whose conclusions not only confirmed Yáber’s involvement in the money laundering scheme linked to former Supreme Minister Angela Vivanco—who is currently under house arrest—but also revealed a parallel structure of payments and favors aimed at influencing key appointments within the judiciary.

«Fundamentally, Yáber is accused of being part of an influence peddling network to sway judicial appointments, and he is accused of having gained financial benefits from his dealings,» reported the outlet.

Among the most relevant evidence that the San Miguel judges considered were the systematic payments Yáber made to former Santiago Court Minister Antonio Ulloa, who was removed due to constitutional accusations linked to his ties with attorney Luis Hermosilla, who is charged with tax crimes, bribery, and money laundering in the framework of the «Audio Case».

According to the cited outlet’s previous investigations, between 2019 and 2025, Yáber transferred one million pesos monthly to Ulloa. In response, the registrar explained it was for a friend and that the money was intended to finance the university studies of Ulloa’s daughter.

However, when testifying in the inquiry, Ulloa added more information that deepened the scheme, indicating that Yáber had also lent him an apartment he owned in La Serena.

The turning point that ultimately led to Yáber’s downfall dates back to 2018, when he was running for his position as registrar of Puente Alto. According to his own account, during a meal with Antonio Ulloa and Angela Vivanco, the former magistrate asked him that, if elected, he hire her partner Gonzalo Migueles as an advisor, which he subsequently did.

This hiring was crucial, as the prosecution discovered that the bribes intended for Vivanco were funneled through Migueles, who received fees from the registrar. According to the evidence, in one of these maneuvers, Yáber played a key role in concealing the illicit origin of a payment of 45 million pesos.

The file also contained other significant elements that sealed his fate. Among these, the ministers evaluated the transfer of a Porsche Cayenne from Yáber to Vivanco in 2021, regarding which «there is no record that […] it was a sale, raising the possibility that it was a disguised payment.» It was also confirmed that Yáber had hired the domestic worker of the Vivanco-Migueles couple in his office.

Finally, the conclusions of the inquiry pointed to a particularly questionable practice: Yáber hired relatives of San Miguel judges who voted for him when his position was determined, which the prosecutor qualified as «a covert form of retribution.»

Removal of Ortúzar

The investigation did not stop at Yáber. The same evidence that implicated the registrar also dragged down notary Rodrigo Ortúzar. As reported by Reportea last December, his bank accounts showed transfers exceeding 300 million pesos with Yáber and Gonzalo Migueles.

This financial relationship coincided with Ortúzar’s rapid rise, who went from being Legal Manager of Subus, an operator of Transantiago, to securing a coveted first-class notary position in San Miguel in just over a year, an advancement that, as the investigation claims, was propelled by the same network operating under Yáber’s sphere.

In light of the seriousness of this evidence, the judges of the San Miguel Court of Appeals acted as decisively in Ortúzar’s case as they did with the registrar and «unanimously voted to open a removal file against the notary,» reported journalist Nicolás Sepúlveda for Reportea.

The full bench also addressed the situation of two other actors close to Yáber: Fernando Martel and Claudio Barrena, both linked to notaries in southern Santiago. While Barrena avoided sanctions as the judicial prosecutor did not bring charges against him, Martel was fined 5 Monthly Tax Units (UTM, equivalent to around 350,000 pesos), the maximum allowed for someone who currently does not hold an official position in the judiciary.

Rental Agreement of Puente Alto Registrar

The suspension process of Sergio Yáber, activated after the initial reports exposing irregular payments, led to an unusual contractual situation recorded in a public deed. Since he owned the offices where the Puente Alto registrar operated—a business model that, according to the cited article, is also employed by other players in the sector, such as the controllers of the Santiago Registrar and notary Francisco Leiva—his suspension required a renegotiation of the space.

The offices are registered in the name of Consuelo Escobar, Yáber’s wife, and after her husband’s suspension, she opted to sign a new rental contract with Andrés Vega, the functionary designated as his replacement.

According to the public deed, signed on December 31 in a notary in Puente Alto, the rent for these offices was set at 12 million pesos monthly.

Yáber’s Multiple Legal Challenges

Beyond the removal process in the court, Sergio Yáber’s situation remains under investigation from other angles. Currently, the Valparaíso Regional Prosecutor’s Office is maintaining a reserved case that investigates the million-dollar payments linked to maneuvers to secure judicial positions, under the hypothesis that judicial positions were being «sold». This case runs parallel to the «Belarus plot,» where efforts are being made to prove that former Supreme Minister Angela Vivanco was receiving payments for her rulings.

Furthermore, Reportea revealed that the registrar has other open fronts, including a reserved case investigating his political ties. According to the publication, Yáber made payments to senators Matías Walker (Democrats) and Sergio Gahona (UDI), to whom he also rented apartments in La Serena.

The investigation also details that he hired Gahona’s daughter at the registrar’s office, just before she was appointed as interim notary in San Miguel.

Despite the firmness of the San Miguel Court of Appeals’ decision, Yáber’s legal future still has one last chapter to unfold. However, the suspended registrar has the option to appeal the removal decision to the Supreme Court.