Chile: Investigation into Ángela Vivanco involves $27 million in payments

New details have emerged in the investigation involving former Supreme Court Justice Ángela Vivanco and her partner, Gonzalo Migueles. Investigations reveal that two real estate companies, Argenta and Alta Vista Pucón, transferred a total of 27 million pesos to Migueles. These payments occurred while Vivanco was serving in the Third Chamber of the Supreme Court, which was directly overseeing cases related to these companies.

Furthermore, Migueles has provided a new testimony to the Public Ministry that contradicts previous statements. While he formerly claimed Vivanco was unaware of any illicit payments, he now asserts that he informed her in September 2023 about payments he would receive from lawyer Eduardo Lagos in exchange for favorable outcomes for the Belarusian consortium Belaz-Movitec (CBM) in its dispute with Codelco. Following this alleged disclosure, Vivanco participated in a ruling that favored the consortium, resulting in a $4.4 billion CLP payout by Codelco.

Vivanco’s defense has filed a legal motion regarding the leak of Migueles’s testimony, alleging a violation of judicial secrecy. A hearing to address these procedural concerns is scheduled for October 30.