PDI Seizes Electronic Device from Former Supreme Court Justice María Teresa Letelier Amid Judicial Appointment Investigation

Original article: PDI incauta aparato electrónico en domicilio de exsuprema María Teresa Letelier por investigación sobre nombramientos judiciales

The operation was conducted as part of an investigation by the Valparaíso Regional Prosecutor’s Office. Former Supreme Court Justice Letelier, who testified as a suspect in April 2025, is involved in the case due to her connections with attorney Luis Hermosilla and former judge Juan Antonio Poblete, who facilitated her appointment to the highest court.

In a recent development in the probe concerning potential irregular judicial appointments, officers from the Economic Crimes Brigade of the Investigative Police (PDI) arrived at the residence of former Supreme Court Minister María Teresa Letelier on the morning of Wednesday, January 14, to seize an electronic device.

The investigation, led by Valparaíso regional prosecutor Claudia Perivancich, aims to ascertain the existence of illicit maneuvers in magistrate selections. Letelier’s involvement stems from her connections with two central figures: defense attorney Luis Hermosilla, who faces charges related to tax crimes, bribery, and money laundering in the Audios Case, and former Supreme Court judge Juan Antonio Poblete, who is currently facing a 20-year prison sentence for his role in Operation Topógrafo.

Operation at the Residence

According to information gathered by the Center for Investigative Journalism (CIPER), around 11:30 AM, a team of four PDI officials arrived at the building where the former judge resides, having retired less than a month earlier on December 24, 2025. Three officers exited the vehicle and waited in the lobby.

Letelier arrived at her residence by taxi at 11:55 AM. When approached by journalists from CIPER regarding the operation, she stated she was unaware of the reason for the police presence and whether they had an entry warrant, and upon realizing they were there, she proceeded to enter her home.

The officers involved did not make any statements, citing that it was an «ongoing procedure.»

Sources close to the operation indicated that the seizure of the electronic device was necessary due to «aspects that have arisen during the investigation and that may present alleged discrepancies with her statement» given in her role as a suspect on April 24, 2025.

Letelier’s Connections with Hermosilla and Poblete

The investigation has focused on how María Teresa Letelier, then minister of the San Miguel Court of Appeals, achieved her promotion to the Supreme Court in May 2021. Her name appears in text exchanges revealed by The Clinic between Luis Hermosilla and Supreme Court judge Mario Carroza, as well as in messaging with former judge Poblete.

In her judicial statement, Letelier acknowledged having met with Hermosilla twice. The first and most critical meeting occurred on April 12, 2021, while she was already part of the shortlist for the position.

“I didn’t know attorney Hermosilla. My friends are not within the Judicial Branch… Mario Carroza told me one day that lawyer Luis Hermosilla wanted to speak with me because he could help me. I was already on the shortlist… Luis Hermosilla came to my house in mid-April 2021. He came alone. We had a half-hour meeting, and he didn’t have a coffee. He said he was familiar with my judicial career and wanted to support me as he claimed to know many people. He didn’t mention who he would talk to or how he would assist me,” she stated in court.

She claimed that after her appointment, she only saw him again at a social dinner in August of that same year, alongside Carroza, to “thank him for his support.”

Regarding the specifics of his involvement, she stated: “He didn’t provide details, and I didn’t ask… I categorically state that Luis Hermosilla did not request any favor or support concerning any ongoing judicial process before the Court.”

As for former judge Poblete, whom she has described as a “lifelong friend,” the magistrate denied receiving his help to be included in the shortlist but admitted to his efforts to secure the political support of then-Minister of Defense Mario Desbordes, the current mayor of Santiago, to whom she even called to thank him for his backing once she reached the highest tribunal.

“No. I did not receive anything, as I did not ask him or anyone outside to assist me in the shortlist… He [Poblete] may have also called me before the shortlist to offer support from Mr. Mario Desbordes, but I told him I preferred to wait until the shortlist was formed… [Poblete] asked me if I called Mr. Desbordes to thank him. I didn’t even have his phone number. Poblete gave it to me, and out of courtesy, I called and thanked him briefly. Frankly, I do not know in what his support consisted; if he spoke with someone in particular to favor my appointment, I do not know,” she stated when questioned by the prosecutor, as reported by Bio Bío Chile.

Letelier Did Not Recuse Herself in Cases Related to Poblete

One of the more sensitive points of the investigation is why Minister Letelier, despite acknowledging the support facilitated by Poblete and maintaining a long friendship with him, did not recuse herself from hearing and voting on cases that directly benefited him.

In statements to CIPER last year, the then-judge justified her actions, announcing that from that moment she would indeed recuse herself, attributing the decision to “the media uproar” surrounding the issue.

In an interview with The Clinic, she addressed the lobbying for her appointment, arguing: “Recommending is neither a sin nor a crime. The crime occurs when you offer something in return.”

The seizure executed this Wednesday marks another milestone in an investigation that has been ongoing for months, which has already included testimonies from several former ministers, senators, and high-ranking officials from the Judiciary. Prosecutor Perivancich seeks to determine whether there was illicit coordination to influence key appointments in exchange for judicial favors.