Judicial Favor Exchange: How Former Minister María Teresa Letelier ‘Paid Back’ Judge and Lobbyist Juan Poblete

Original article: Intercambio de favores en el Poder Judicial: Revelan cómo la exministra María Teresa Letelier «le devolvió la mano» al juez y lobbista Juan Poblete

WhatsApp Messages Between Letelier and Poblete Expose a Favor Exchange Network Including Lobby Efforts for Supreme Court Position, Internal Resolution Leaks, Strategies to Avoid Disciplinary Sanctions, and Key Votes in Critical Situations, as Revealed by Bío Bío Chile. The former minister is currently under investigation for influence peddling and reportedly faked a robbery to avoid handing over her phone to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

A web of reciprocal favors, political lobbying, and confidential leaks within Chile’s judiciary has come to light following an analysis of hundreds of WhatsApp conversations between former Supreme Court Minister María Teresa Letelier and former Santiago Appeals Court Magistrate Juan Antonio Poblete.

The messages, spanning from 2020 to 2023, detail how Poblete activated a network of contacts to support Letelier’s rise to the highest judiciary position in 2021, and how she subsequently leveraged her new role to try to shield her friend from at least two administrative investigations and from criminal charges related to espionage in the «Operation Topógrafo» case.

The investigation conducted by Bío Bío Chile depicts a scenario where Letelier is formally charged with influence peddling and accused of faking a robbery to avoid relinquishing her phone to the Regional Prosecutor’s Office of Valparaíso.

A 40-Year Friendship and the First Favor

María Teresa Letelier and Juan Antonio Poblete have known each other for over four decades. Both began their careers as criminal judges and progressed in tandem to become Ministers of Appeals Courts. In 2020, this relationship of «friendship and professional affection,» as Letelier described it to prosecutors, translated into the first assistance act recorded in the chats.

Poblete was facing an administrative investigation at the Santiago Appeals Court for significant delays in drafting over 80 rulings, a situation that congested the court’s operations. This was when Letelier, then a Minister at the San Miguel Appeals Court, intervened.

On August 23, 2020, after greeting him, Letelier got straight to the point in an audio recorded by the cited media:

Letelier: «Hey, look, I’m going to ask you a question. Were you ordered to do an expertise at the Legal Medical Institute? I ask because my cousin works there, the one you met when we went north, remember? To the cabins in La Serena, over there in Tongoy. He does some of the expertise, not all, but many. So maybe if it’s at the institute, I could talk to him… If you want it to be done sooner, I don’t know, it’s up to you, just let me know.»

Poblete responded 24 hours later, expressing gratitude and outlining his interests:

Poblete: «Hello, dear friend, how are you?… Regarding your question, if you can do something, I would appreciate it. I’m not in a hurry for it, but I’m focused on the content, that it confirms or supports what others have said, that I was in major depression… If you can do something positive in the sense that… how should I put it… benefits my interests, I’d be grateful. But be careful, do it with much caution, because it’s complicated and I don’t want to put you in a difficult position…»

Letelier attempted to assist, but her efforts were unsuccessful. Her cousin, Alfredo, refused due to ethical reasons. However, the intention to help was recorded. Three days later, Poblete informally informed her—one month before the official communication—that the Santiago Court had decided to suspend him for four months and request his transfer to the Supreme Court.

In light of this bad news, Letelier provided a piece of advice that revealed her perception of the judicial environment in the capital:

Letelier: «Well, Juan Antonio, I think the best thing that could happen to you is that, even if things go well, you leave that Court, which is a disaster. Honestly, Santiago has such a toxic environment, with so many egocentrics, that I believe nothing would do you better than to leave.»

Lobbying to Reach the Supreme Court and Letelier’s ‘Debt’

While Poblete struggled with his issues, Letelier’s career was taking an upward turn. In 2021, the administration of then President Sebastián Piñera nominated her to the Supreme Court, pending only Senate ratification. It was then that Letelier turned to Poblete, who had built a vast political contact network, to secure the position.

On April 16, 2021, Letelier sent him an audio with an explicit request:

Letelier: «Hey, could you speak to your friend [referring to then Minister of National Defense, Mario Desbordes] to see if he can make some contacts with some senators on his side, or talk to them and let me know how it goes, so he can tell you, okay? Because I need to align those sectors, alright?»

Ten days later, after her official nomination, she wrote again asking for further assistance:

Letelier: «[I’m] really happy about this stage, which is just the second; the third is the most challenging, the Senate, but I’m happy. Very, very pleased since I learned this this morning. So, well, calm, nervous, but confident, waiting to see what happens.»

Poblete responded, ensuring the required support:

Poblete: «For your peace of mind, I have already asked for everyone in the sector to review your case and they confirmed they would, and I’m glad you reminded me because everyone is preoccupied with elections. I tell you this for your peace of mind and trust… Hugs, calmness, and you are not alone. There are many of us with you!!!!!!»

On May 26, 2021, the Senate unanimously ratified her appointment. Letelier took her oath on June 8. The lobbying, which also included the active participation of former deputy and former RN president Mario Desbordes, was successful. Immediately after, the dynamic of their relationship changed: the ‘return of the favor’ began.

The ‘Return of the Favor’: Leaks and Strategies from the Supreme Court

Once installed in the Supreme Court, Letelier became a privileged source of information and strategist for Poblete, who continued to be embroiled in disciplinary procedures, now overseen by Minister Pablo Krumm from the Copiapó Court.

Poblete requested confidential information:

Poblete: «Can you find out if the mandate to Krumm was absolutely broad, allowing him to investigate whatever he deems necessary, because that’s how he is proceeding?… I want to request a report to see if that authority was granted by the Supreme Court Plenary, or if he self-appointed it…»

Letelier cautiously agreed:

Letelier: «I haven’t signed the minutes, and I don’t want to investigate anything to avoid raising suspicions. I’ll ask Mario [Carroza, Supreme Court Minister] if he signed the minutes.»

The next day, Letelier not only shared the Plenary resolution but detailed:

Letelier: «They gave Krumm 15 days of exclusive dedication.»

The help reached its peak on April 26, 2022, when the Supreme Court Plenary voted to initiate a removal process against Poblete, the first step towards his expulsion from the judiciary. Hours after the vote, Letelier leaked the outcome to him:

Letelier: «Look, things didn’t look good, Juan Antonio. I… I’m really sorry, but I have to tell you, you had no support at all… They voted to open a removal process against you, and it was opened with the votes against [Leopoldo] Llanos, Mario [Carroza], and me. I believe that we were just three votes against for the removal process…»

Immediately after, the sitting minister devised a defense strategy for him, outlining a series of warnings.

Letelier: «I think we need to consider this now; they will ask for reports… Don’t defend yourself alone, because things don’t work out when one defends themselves alone. We need to review medical reports… and you can’t fall behind on anything, do you understand? The declarations from the officials do not work in your favor; everything in the file is not good for you.»

Despite these efforts, Poblete’s situation became untenable. In October 2022, under pressure, he submitted his voluntary resignation, prompting Letelier to console him: «Yes, I understand. But at this moment, it was the best thing you could do for a better exit.»

The Last Favor: Key Vote in ‘Operation Topógrafo’

After leaving the judiciary, Poblete’s problems escalated to criminal ones. In June 2023, he was formally charged and placed in preventive detention for his role in «Operation Topógrafo,» involving illegal espionage of journalists and military personnel linked to the Milicogate case.

Poblete filed a writ of protection to regain his freedom, which was denied by the Santiago Appeals Court. The case reached the Supreme Court’s Second Chamber. In a decision regarded as a «legal backtracking» by experts, the chamber—arguing a technicality regarding the need for a complaint of chapters—accepted the protection request. The only vote against was from Minister Leopoldo Llanos. Among the four votes in favor was, once again, María Teresa Letelier.

Before prosecutors, Letelier downplayed their relationship while testifying as an accused:

Letelier: «I never felt incapacitated. I had no grounds for disqualification or, in my opinion, no grounds for recusal. While I had a friendship and professional affection with Juan Antonio Poblete, I do not have an intimate familial friendship with him. I am friends with him, but I do not consider him a close friend. We did not visit each other at home, for example, nor did we hang out together.»

Investigation Against Letelier and the Alleged Fake Assault

Today, María Teresa Letelier, retired from the Supreme Court, is not only formally charged by the Regional Prosecutor’s Office of Valparaíso for repeated offenses of influence peddling, malfeasance, and breach of confidentiality, but she also faces allegations of obstructing justice.

According to media outlet Reportea, the former minister allegedly faked a robbery on December 9, 2025, the day she was summoned to deliver her cellphone to the Public Prosecutor’s Office as part of the investigation. The report of the supposed theft, made at a police station in Valparaíso, would have been an excuse to avoid handing over the device.

The alibi, maintained for 43 days, was dismantled by a police investigation that found no trace of the robbery, placed Letelier in her apartment at the time of the alleged event, and demonstrated that the chip of her cellphone was activated in her daughter’s device, also a judge, less than 60 minutes after the report.