INoticias.CL | «I Am at My Most Influential Moment with the President»: Chats Expose Hermosilla’s Power in the Judiciary

Chats between attorney Luis Hermosilla and three judges reveal a web of mutual favors that included key appointments, access to confidential information, and direct lobbying at La Moneda. In these conversations, the criminal lawyer claimed: «I am at my most influential moment with the President (Sebastián Piñera)». These exchanges show how judges Lilian Leyton, Isabel Zúñiga, and Verónica Sabaj acted as his informants and collaborators while he advanced their judicial careers and those close to him.

On November 7, 2024, Juan Pablo Hermosilla, Luis’s brother and defense attorney, publicly read the names of 28 judges and prosecutors who had exchanged WhatsApp messages with his brother on a sidewalk in Vitacura. Among them was Leyton, the current minister of the Santiago Court, who has been one of the lawyer’s closest collaborators for nearly a decade. Those familiar with their relationship were surprised not by the existence of the connection but by the choice to disclose it publicly, given the intimate nature of the conversations. Reportea revealed that the list did not include the other two judges who also maintained a close relationship with Hermosilla: Zúñiga, head of the 1st Civil Court of Santiago, and Sabaj, who had already been dismissed after her chats were exposed in a previous report.

The three judges were crucial for Hermosilla to gain access to privileged information that allowed him to cultivate his web of influence in the courts. Details on the composition of ternas (nominating committees), political leanings of ministers and judges, progress on cases of interest, and specifics about court proceedings were some of the information the judges provided him. «The three effectively served as his informants and aides,» stated the cited media, highlighting that none of the judges showed any refusal to Hermosilla’s requests in their chats.

Rise of Lilian Leyton to the Santiago Court

Leyton’s story with Hermosilla began in 2014 when she met him through her friend Isabel Zúñiga while organizing Zúñiga’s birthday celebration. The record of their conversations is extensive—2,218 pages—and spans from June 2014 to at least February 2022.

In June 2018, when a vacancy opened up at the Santiago Court of Appeals following the death of Judge Alfredo Pfeiffer, Leyton reached out to Hermosilla for assistance. «Hello!! I’m going to need your support. I will apply this year,» the judge wrote. «Fantastic!!! I’ll help you with whatever you need,» the attorney replied, noting: «Besides, I’m sitting at the table that decides on behalf of the Minint (Ministry of the Interior).»

Hermosilla assisted her through both stages of the process: first securing votes from Supreme Court ministers to include her in the shortlist and then helping her get selected by Sebastián Piñera’s government. In August 2018, Leyton wrote to him twice, asking him to persuade then-Supreme Court Minister Ángela Vivanco to vote for her: «I need your help with Vivanco.»

On January 24, 2019, Hermosilla brought her good news: «I spoke with my friend yesterday, and he thought you were already appointed,» referring to Andrés Chadwick, then Minister of the Interior. Six days later, he confirmed that his efforts had paid off: «ACH spoke to SP [Sebastián Piñera] and I was informed this afternoon.» The appointment was confirmed on February 22, 2019, and Leyton expressed her gratitude: «I really owe you entirely for this.»

In a statement to Reportea, Leyton said she approached Hermosilla “in good faith” to solicit “management to highlight my merits as a judge to the Ministry of Justice, because he was a lawyer who frequently visited the Palace of Justice” and “specifically, because he was openly recognized as the main facilitator for government nominations.”

Ministerial Favors: «You Are My Guardian Angel»

Throughout the years covered by the chats, Hermosilla repeatedly turned to Leyton for internal court information: designated rapporteurs for specific cases, timelines, order of proceedings, and guidance on when to recuse or suspend. Lilian Leyton always responded.

The most revealing incident occurred in May 2020, during the pandemic. Hermosilla, then an advisor to Clínica Las Condes, needed the Court to review a stay order in time to prevent 25% of the workers from leaving the premises as per the 2nd Labor Court’s order. «Please, help me!!» Hermosilla texted Leyton, to which she replied: «I know. I talked to Paola [Paola Plaza, the minister in charge of the chamber].» A little over an hour later, the lawyer celebrated: «Eeeeeehhhhh. They just issued the stay order.» He added: «You are my guardian angel.»

Leyton defended her actions to Reportea: «There was nothing questionable» and the matter «has already been investigated and dismissed.» Regarding the sharing of information, she stated that «it is normal for rapporteurs and lawyers to have each other’s phone numbers, emails, or to be received in the court’s office; because this is how internal information, which is public and necessary for the good functioning of processes, is shared.»

Isabel Zúñiga: From Employee to Judge of the 1st Civil Court

The story between Isabel Zúñiga and Hermosilla began in 2005 when she worked for five months at his law firm. In September 2017, as presidential elections approached, Hermosilla texted her: «If Piñera is president, you can ask for whatever you want.» At that time, Zúñiga was serving as a judge in Punta Arenas.

On April 10, 2018, the magistrate told the penalist she wanted to leave Punta Arenas: «I want to return… I don’t want to stay there much longer.» He responded: «Let’s talk. How can I help?» On July 24, 2018, Zúñiga informed him she had applied for the position of presiding judge of the 1st Civil Court of Santiago, and Hermosilla reiterated his willingness to help, reserving a crucial conversation: «I’ll talk to Mery.» This referred to Héctor Mery, then in charge of the Judicial Division of the Ministry of Justice.

On October 12, 2018, Zúñiga wrote to him: «I’m only asking you to do everything impossible for me… I really want this.» Hermosilla replied: «I will give my all for this!» and advised her to speak with Claudio Radonich, mayor of Punta Arenas, to intercede with Andrés Chadwick.

On October 20, Hermosilla confirmed his efforts: «I just spoke with ACH. He will do everything possible and take action. I urge you to keep this entirely confidential.» Three days later, he updated her: «We’ve done everything, now we just have to wait.» The next day, Zúñiga informed him that Mery had called to inform her that she had been appointed, and on October 29, 2018, the decree confirming her as judge of the 1st Civil Court of Santiago was published.

Reportea queried Zúñiga about these efforts, and the judge asserted: «Mr. Hermosilla did not intervene, though it appears he made efforts; he assured me he would support another candidate.» Regarding Chadwick, she maintained: «I do not know Mr. Chadwick, and I have never had contact with him.» However, the chats show no indication that Hermosilla supported another candidate.

«With Everything Against Urrutia» and Influence over Appointments

The chats make clear that both Hermosilla and Zúñiga shared a deep animosity towards Judge Daniel Urrutia of the 7th Guarantee Court of Santiago. On November 22, 2019, during the social uprising, the magistrate texted: «Luis, Urrutia should be disqualified.» Later, on March 25, 2020, when the National Association of Judges criticized Urrutia’s suspension, Zúñiga was even more explicit: «I’m against Urrutia. If they don’t manage to remove him now, he’ll become a minister with another government.»

On the same day, Hermosilla replied: «I’m on that. Fighting against this delinquent… I think we need to gather everyone who knows how he is. Talk to your minister friends.» Zúñiga retorted: «I’m fighting hard from the inside. I’ve been brave and bold. Please remove him.»

In September 2021, Zúñiga led a complaint to the Honor Tribunal of the National Association of Judges demanding Urrutia’s expulsion, for which Hermosilla «congratulated» her for «her courage and clarity.» In her response to Reportea, Zúñiga dismissed any coordinated actions with Hermosilla, stating that there were only «private conversations.»

While Leyton and Zúñiga sought to leverage their friendship with Hermosilla for managing requests, the latter’s influence extended to dozens of appointments. The chats reveal that they discussed 38 individuals who applied for positions in the Judiciary. Of that total, she provided positive feedback on 28 candidates, of whom at least 17 secured the positions they aspired to.

La entrada «I Am at My Most Influential Moment with the President»: Chats Expose Hermosilla’s Power in the Judiciary se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.