Chile Supreme Court rejects immunity removal for Ñuble Governor

The Supreme Court of Chile has rejected a request to strip immunity from the Governor of the Ñuble Region, Óscar Crisóstomo Llanos. The court upheld a previous ruling from the Chillán Court of Appeals, dismissing accusations brought by the Public Ministry.

The court determined that the evidence gathered by the prosecution did not meet the required standard of plausibility to proceed with charges of passive bribery between private parties. The ruling noted factual gaps in the description of the Governor's alleged conduct, concluding that the investigation lacked sufficient grounds to initiate a trial.

Governor Crisóstomo Llanos stated that the final resolution ends a nearly six-year legal process, which he characterized as an attempt to damage his political image through unsubstantiated accusations.