Chile: Ex-Army Intelligence Chief and Judge Convicted for Espionage

A Chilean court has sentenced a former head of Army Intelligence and a former appeals court judge to five years of intensive supervised liberty for illegal wiretapping. General (ret.) Schafik Nazal and former judge Juan Poblete were convicted for their roles in an investigation into illegal phone interceptions targeting a journalist and former military officers.

The investigation by the Santiago Prosecutor's Office established that between 2016 and 2018, the convicted officials used falsified judicial orders. These orders authorized the illegal wiretapping of journalists and whistleblowers who had reported irregularities within the Army. The targets included civilians and former military personnel, operating outside the scope of Chile's Intelligence Law.

According to the investigation, these interceptions were justified under false pretenses of national security threats. Both Nazal and Poblete accepted a simplified trial, a procedure requiring acknowledgment of facts and allowing for a swift resolution without a full oral trial, which also resulted in reduced sentences.

Prosecutor Ximena Chong described the outcome as "satisfactory," emphasizing the importance of securing a conviction and balancing the interests of victims with the prosecution's objectives. She detailed that the Army's Intelligence Directorate illegally intercepted communications on at least 15 occasions, misusing its legal authority.

Journalist Mauricio Weibel, a victim in the case, hailed the ruling as a "tremendous signal to the world," noting it's the first conviction of a judge and an army intelligence chief for spying on a journalist in Chile. Weibel had previously exposed a military embezzlement scandal in 2015, known as 'Milicogate,' involving public funds from the now-repealed Copper Law, which has already led to convictions for high-ranking officers and is still investigating the whereabouts of over 6 billion pesos.