Senator’s Daughter Claims Former Minister Luis Sepúlveda Pressured Her to Hire Family at Public Notary

Original article: Hija de senador UDI declara que exministro  de la Corte, Luis Sepúlveda, le exigió contratar a sus familiares en notaría pública

Former Minister Luis Sepúlveda Allegedly Abused Judicial Position to Install Family Members at Notary and Registry Office, According to Revelations

A summary investigation by the San Miguel Court of Appeals has uncovered a network of favors and cross-appointments involving former Minister Luis Sepúlveda, UDI Senator Sergio Gahona, and formalized registrar Sergio Yáber. According to statements collected during the inquiry, Sepúlveda—who was the court’s president—appointed Paulina Gahona, the senator’s daughter, as the interim notary for San Miguel in 2023, and subsequently requested her to hire his nephew, which she did.

CIPER Chile had previously revealed that the minister voted in favor of Yáber’s appointment as the registrar of Puente Alto, where Sepúlveda’s wife, Isabel Ponce, was later employed.

The judicial records detail that in November 2018, Sepúlveda personally visited the Real Estate Registrar (CBR) of Puente Alto to present his wife as a new employee, just days after Yáber assumed the position with his favorable vote. Testimonies from staff included in the summary describe that Ponce «did very little» while receiving a preferential salary that did not reduce during the pandemic, according to documents by CIPER Chile. Moreover, a witness claimed that it was Isabel Ponce herself who facilitated the subsequent transfer of Paulina Gahona to the San Miguel notary.

Paulina Gahona testified before judicial prosecutor Carla Troncoso that the offer to employ Sepúlveda’s nephew was initiated by the former minister after his swearing-in, denying any coercion while acknowledging the suggestion. The attorney also admitted that Sepúlveda proposed names of other relatives, which she did not hire. CIPER Chile documented that Gahona’s appointment as interim notary occurred merely four years after her professional internship, in a position directly dependent on the court’s president.

The situation is complicated by political connections: Yáber is a friend of Senator Gahona and hired his daughter in Puente Alto in 2022 before her transfer to the notary. The senator explained to CIPER Chile that he merely facilitated the contact between the two. Efforts by this media to obtain responses from Paulina Gahona, her father, and former Minister Sepúlveda went unanswered. The summary investigation continues, delving deeper into the irregularities at the CBR of Puente Alto and at the 2nd Notary of San Miguel.