Former Judge Removed for Chats with Hermosilla: Supreme Court Upholds Verónica Sabaj’s Dismissal

Original article: Exjueza destituida por chats con Hermosilla: Suprema mantiene remoción de Verónica Sabaj

The Supreme Court dismissed a request by the defense team of Verónica Sabaj Escudero, a minister of the Appeals Court in Santiago, contesting her removal from the judiciary last September due to her association with lawyer Luis Hermosilla.

The Judiciary announced that the full court convened on Tuesday to review the appeals request and ultimately rejected it.

Supreme Court spokesperson María Soledad Melo Labra noted that after considering the presented evidence and arguments, «the majority of the members concluded that the points raised did not sufficiently challenge the ruling made on September 30 of this year, and that the new supporting details pertained to a removal case involving another judiciary member, which was duly assessed.» Thus, the petition submitted by Minister Verónica Sabaj’s defense was dismissed.

“This decision was made with the dissenting vote of Justice Silva, who, referencing a minority opinion from an earlier ruling, indicated that he would support the appeal,” the magistrate elaborated.

Melo added that the resolution was reached after dismissing a prior suggestion from two justices who argued for declaring the appeal inadmissible.

Dismissed Due to Links with Hermosilla

It is important to recall that on January 22 of this year, the Supreme Court decided to initiate an investigation into the removal of MMinister Sabaj following the revelations from the «audio case,» in which messages exchanged between Verónica Sabaj and lawyer Luis Hermosilla, accused of tax evasion, bribery, and money laundering, were uncovered.

According to the gathered evidence, the conversations between the minister and the criminal lawyer indicated that Sabaj allegedly facilitated benefits for herself and others, in addition to making arrangements to formalize her position on the appellate court. These actions were said to have compromised her impartiality, which was reflected in favorable rulings towards the jurist.

The dismissal was also announced on September 10 by Supreme Court spokesperson María Soledad Melo, who stated that with the collective evidence gathered, it was possible to determine that the minister engaged in conduct affecting the independence, impartiality, integrity, and transparency that supersede her right to remain in office, due to actions that compromise the fundamental principles of a democratic state.

“Disregarding the defenses’ claims as outlined in the ruling, and in accordance with Article 80 of the Political Constitution of the Republic, it is declared that Mrs. Verónica Sabaj Escudero has not conducted herself appropriately in her duties. Consequently, it is agreed to remove her from her position as a minister of the Appeals Court of Santiago,” she indicated.