Chilean court keeps two lawyers in jail over 'Belarusian Doll' corruption case

A Santiago court has denied a request to lift the pre-trial detention for two lawyers accused in the "Belarusian Doll" corruption case. Mario Vargas and Eduardo Lagos will remain in custody at the Capitán Yáber prison. They are accused of facilitating illicit payments to a former Supreme Court minister, Ángela Vivanco, to sway a favorable ruling in a multi-million dollar dispute between Belaz-Movitec and the state-owned Codelco. Judge Freddy Cubillos ruled that the defense's arguments, which cited health concerns and potential cooperation with the investigation, were insufficient to alter the precautionary measures. The defense team criticized the decision as disproportionate, particularly when compared to the house arrest granted to Vivanco, who faces a potentially lesser sentence. A new hearing is scheduled for September 22 to address a request by the Public Ministry to extend the investigation period, with all defendants expected to be present.

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The proportionality principle is affected if one of the co-defendants, who is ultimately the subject of interest for the crimes that were formalized, can be under total house arrest and, in effect, our client – who even faces a lesser penalty – is today subject to the measure of pre-trial detention, and even for a period twice as long as the former minister (Vivanco).