Vinko Fodich Resigns as Defense Attorney for Ex-Deputy Francisco Pulgar Amid Kidnapping Investigation

Original article: Vinko Fodich: exfiscal imputado por secuestro extorsivo dejó la defensa del exdiputado Francisco Pulgar, acusado de violación

Attorney and former prosecutor Vinko Fodich has stepped down from representing ex-deputy Francisco Pulgar Castillo, who faces allegations of rape and sexual abuse against a minor.

Fodich withdrew from legal representation of the former parliamentarian from Talca and Curicó, as he is currently held in preventive detention due to a criminal investigation linked to a gang involved in extortion kidnappings.

In early September, the former prosecutor was apprehended along with a group of PDI officials as part of an investigation led by the Supraterritorial Prosecutor’s Office.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office attributes to them involvement primarily in crimes of organized criminal association, extortion kidnapping, and extortion, as well as violations of the PDI Organic Law and other offenses related to illegal possession of weapons, ammunition, and fireworks.

According to reports, the investigation targets an organization that allegedly aimed to extort money from Chinese nationals through kidnappings, with the prosecution stating that those involved were aware of the plan’s inclusion of police officers.

Specifically, two members of the PDI, one of whom has already resigned, are suspected of involvement in a kidnapping of Chinese citizens linked to the criminal group “Clan Chen”, with one reportedly being falsely arrested and taken to a fake police headquarters located in a building on José Miguel Carrera Street in Santiago, where even someone posed as an FBI agent.

Additionally, Fodich has been accused of contacting the kidnapped person’s sister to accompany her to the fake police unit and dissuade her from paying $300 million to end the supposed “police procedure.” According to Bio Bío Chile, she ultimately paid $30 million.

The former prosecutor, who was a partner at the law firm PFV Abogados, is also under investigation by the Supraterritorial Prosecutor’s Office for his role in an alleged money laundering structure.

The investigation focuses on the large flows of money that moved through the accounts of a currency exchange house linked to the criminal lawyer and two other partners, revealing a financial scheme exceeding 9 billion pesos, of which 5.79 billion corresponds to cash deposits and more than 4 billion to crossed transfers.

The origins of the investigations date back to August, when the Supraterritorial Prosecutor’s Office requested the lifting of banking secrecy for Fodich, after finding direct links between the lawyer and a structure dedicated to money laundering.

This prosecutor’s office, specialized in combating organized crime nationwide, discovered that the lawyer was co-owner, along with Chinese national Tao Jiang and former PPD council candidate Luis Muñoz, of the company Change Panda SpA.

In reviewing the financial movements of this currency exchange house cash deposits totaling 5.79 billion pesos were detected. However, the banking investigation extended to about ten individuals and around 30 legal entities, recording inter-company transfers exceeding 4 billion pesos, contributing to the hypothesis of a reported money laundering network in operation.

Fodich Withdraws from Defending Ex-Deputy Francisco Pulgar

Following Fodich’s withdrawal from the defense of ex-deputy Francisco Pulgar, accused as the perpetrator of rape and sexual abuse against a minor and currently under total house arrest, the Talca Oral Criminal Court decided to reschedule the trial against him that was originally set for October 19.

«Following the resignation of his attorney representation, the new defense for the accused requests to reschedule the date for cautionary reasons,» stated the Maule Prosecutor’s Office via social media.

Furthermore, the court has set the trial for November 23, 2027.

«With this new date set by the court, the defense will have a year and a month to prepare the defendant’s case,» the prosecution indicated.

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As the material author of two counts of rape against a minor, one as a unique act and the other as a repeated offense, ex-deputy Francisco Pulgar faces a potential 12 years of effective prison time along with a requirement to pay a compensation of 100 million pesos for moral damage.