Serious Developments in the ‘Belarus Doll’ Case: Home Raided of Ángela Vivanco, Husband and Lawyer Mario Vargas Arrested

Original article: ”Máxima gravedad”: Allanan casa de Ángela Vivanco y detienen a su esposo y Mario Vargas en el marco del caso “Muñeca Bielorrusa”

On Tuesday, November 4, new operations were conducted by the PDI and the Public Prosecutor’s Office as part of the investigation known as the «Belarusian Angle,» which included arrest warrants for businessman Gonzalo Migueles, husband of former Supreme Court Minister Ángela Vivanco, and lawyers Mario Vargas and Eduardo Lagos.

Simultaneously, personnel from the Carabineros OS-7 executed search warrants at the homes of the three suspects in connection with the investigation into bribery and money laundering led by the regional prosecutor of Los Lagos, Carmen Gloria Wittwer.

Various electronic devices were seized from the three properties, including computers and mobile phones.

Prosecutor Marcos Muñoz stated, «The Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Los Lagos region, in coordination with the Asset Mitigation and Money Laundering Department of OS7 of Carabineros, is executing a resolution from the 7th Guarantee Court in Santiago.»

He added that the resolution includes «entry, search, and seizure operations at various residences, as well as the detention of various individuals.»

After these operations, Vivanco’s husband turned himself in at the OS7 facilities, followed by lawyer Mario Vargas.

The ‘Belarus Doll’ Case

The «Belarus Doll» case revolves around the legal conflict between state-owned Codelco and the Belarusian consortium Belaz Movitec SpA (CBM). The dispute originated from a contract violation in Codelco’s El Salvador Division, where the mining company accused the contractor of completing only 23% of the work, amassing six months of delays, and experiencing a fatal accident. Following this, Codelco collected guarantee bonds worth $17 billion (US$ 20 million) and retained the company’s machinery, a move initially supported by the Copiapó Court of Appeals.

However, the situation took a dramatic turn when the Third Chamber of the Supreme Court, provisionally led by Ángela Vivanco, accepted a protection request from Belaz Movitec and ordered the state miner to carry out the «immediate restitution» of the machinery and guarantees. The ruling was issued within just six days and without the case being formally scheduled. The same Chamber later confirmed its decision and expanded benefits in favor of the consortium, compelling Codelco to pay an additional US$4 million for transportation and US$1 million for adjustments and VAT.

Million-Dollar Payments to Vivanco’s Husband

According to a report by La Bot in July, the Regional Prosecutor’s investigations led by Carmen Gloria Wittwer included Vivanco’s husband, Gonzalo Migueles, along with lawyers Mario Vargas, Eduardo Lagos, and Gabriel Silber, and Chillán’s real estate registrar, Yamil Najle.

“The key lies in Gonzalo Migueles’ bank records from June 2024. Between Monday the 17th and Wednesday the 19th of that month, the partner of the former Supreme Court minister, Ángela Vivanco, received five bank transfers of $5 million each. These payments drew the attention of the Regional Prosecutor’s Office of Los Lagos, which is conducting an investigation that could become one of the most significant aspects of the Hermosilla case,” the report stated.

La Bot revealed that the judicial inquiry was sparked by analyzing Migueles’ bank accounts. From June 17 to 19, 2024, he received five transfers of $5 million each (totaling $25 million) from Yamil Najle Empresa Periodística E.I.R.L. These transactions occurred two months before Najle was appointed as the real estate registrar in Chillán, where Migueles is listed as an «advisor.» The media highlighted that the payments were made immediately after Codelco deposited $1.026 billion into the account of lawyer Eduardo Lagos, representative of the Belaz Movitec SpA (CBM) consortium.

The OS7 Carabineros report, cited by La Bot, detected irregularities in Codelco’s last payment to CBM ($1.026 billion). Lagos withdrew $820 million to Inversiones Mar Adriático (linked to CBM) and claimed $165 million in fees, leaving $41 million unjustified. Sources within the investigation indicate that this amount is pivotal: «The suspicions of money laundering are based on the destination of that money,» suggests La Bot, implying that part may have reached Najle’s company and then to Migueles.

The investigation focuses on exploring whether Codelco funds — harmed by Vivanco’s rulings — financed potential illicit maneuvers. In this context, La Bot cited prosecutorial sources: «Investigations are underway to determine if part of the money [from the $41 million] ended up in the hands of Yamil Najle […] and if it was the source of the $25 million to Migueles.» If confirmed, it would present the paradox that the funds intended to influence Vivanco originated from Codelco’s coffers.

After lifting the banking secrecy from the investigated parties a day after Vivanco’s expulsion (October 2024), OS7 concluded its analysis on May 30. Prosecutor Wittwer presented the findings to the Seventh Guarantee Court of Santiago, stating that the report «reflects the existence of maneuvers consistent with behaviors and types of money laundering,» as revealed by Mega Investiga.

In his defense, Migueles has argued that he performed paid work for both Yáber and Najle, justifying the deposits he would have in his checking account from companies linked to both registrars. However, from Carabineros’ OS7 perspective, those banking movements could constitute money laundering.

It’s important to note that on October 23, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the OS7 Carabineros simultaneously raided the offices of the real estate registrars in Puente Alto and Chillán.

Gajardo Warns of ‘Maximum Severity’ in Investigations

The extent of the investigation has raised alarms in the legal field. Former prosecutor Carlos Gajardo reacted on social media to the latest developments in the case, labeling it of utmost seriousness. On his X account, Gajardo wrote: «The ‘Belarus Doll’ case sees its first arrests. The prosecution investigates a troubling question: Were bribes paid for a Supreme Court ruling that harmed Codelco? The court orders the arrest of two lawyers and the ex-Minister Vivanco’s partner.»

Moments later, he published a second message warning about the gravity of the scheme involving bribery, influence peddling, incompatible negotiations, and money laundering.

«What is under investigation is of maximum severity. Payments of bribes to a Supreme Court Minister to ‘win’ a case. Given the SQM ruling, one would expect they didn’t use Hotmail emails to coordinate everything,» he stated.

This last statement reflects Gajardo’s concern about the potential for bribery linked to the highest echelons of the judiciary and draws an analogy to the «SQM ruling,» where a decision from the country’s highest court favored the mining company in 2022, generating strong criticism for a lack of transparency.