“Blow to Integrity”: The Association of Jurists for Democracy sharply condemns impunity for Judge Ulloa and warns of a serious institutional breakdown
In a forceful statement, the Association of Jurists for Democracy (AJD) issued a strong rebuke of the Plenary of the Supreme Court for declining to remove Santiago Court of Appeals judge Antonio Ulloa Márquez. The AJD called the outcome—reached because the necessary quorum was not met—a weighing of the record divorced from the law, noting it disregarded both the report by the Plenary of the Santiago Court of Appeals, which urged removal due to the severity of the misconduct, and the opinion from the Supreme Court’s Judicial Prosecutor, who also supported dismissal.
The association highlighted the serious grounds under investigation against the magistrate, who has been formally charged with corruption in the so‑called “Audios‑Hermosilla Case”, where an agreement allegedly sought to unlawfully influence at least 14 appointments to senior judicial posts. It also cited other violations, including his failure to recuse himself in cases with clear conflicts of interest—among them one involving people close to him who were defending former President Sebastián Piñera. The AJD stressed that the criminal investigation into these events remains in the hands of the Valparaíso Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
Finally, the AJD warned that the Supreme Court’s decision gravely undermines efforts to combat judicial corruption, deepens public mistrust in institutions, and damages the High Court’s credibility in exercising its disciplinary powers. In this context, the association expressed confidence that the constitutional accusation announced by members of Congress will move forward to counter the effects of impunity, and reiterated the urgency of comprehensive reform of both the Judiciary and the Public Prosecutor’s Office to insulate the system from corruption and strengthen the guarantees of a true rule of law.
The full original public statement is shared below.
PUBLIC STATEMENT
On the decision not to remove the Judge of the Santiago Court of Appeals, Antonio Ulloa Márquez
Regarding the recent decision by the Plenary of the Supreme Court not to remove Judge of the Santiago Court of Appeals Antonio Ulloa Márquez—within the framework of a removal proceeding opened against him for serious breaches of probity—the Association of Jurists for Democracy states:
We reject the Supreme Court’s refusal to remove him (the necessary quorum among the sitting justices was not reached) for applying an assessment of the record that is not consistent with the law, ignoring the grave background provided during the proceeding. The Court disregarded both the report from the Plenary of the Santiago Court of Appeals, which requested his removal because “the concurrence of conduct constituting violations of these official duties merits a reprimand proportional to the seriousness of the observed faults,” and the favorable opinion toward removal issued by the Supreme Court’s Judicial Prosecutor.
It should be underscored that Judge Antonio Ulloa has been formally charged with several corruption offenses, which indicate that the magistrate and attorney Luis Hermosilla—former adviser to Andrés Chadwick—agreed to influence at least 14 appointments to senior judicial positions, outside the rules that govern such processes. The Valparaíso Regional Prosecutor’s Office, led by Claudia Perivancich, is in charge of the case investigating Judge Ulloa’s conduct, after the national prosecutor, Ángel Valencia, reassigned it from the O’Higgins Prosecutor’s Office.
It also bears recalling that, according to the disciplinary investigation conducted by the Court of Appeals at the behest of the Supreme Court, Ulloa committed additional breaches, such as failing to recuse himself in a case that removed Guarantee Judge Daniel Urrutia, despite Ulloa’s animosity toward that magistrate. Nor did he recuse himself in another case involving Hermosilla and attorney Samuel Donoso—both of whom had close ties to him—when they were representing Sebastián Piñera.
The Supreme Court’s decision gravely compromises the imperative to fight judicial corruption exposed by the so‑called Audios‑Hermosilla Case, deepens citizens’ mistrust in institutions, and seriously undermines the Supreme Court’s credibility when exercising its disciplinary authority, as well as the independence and impartiality that courts must uphold in fulfilling their constitutional and legal duty to administer justice.
We hope the constitutional accusation announced by several deputies for gross neglect of duty against Judge Antonio Ulloa is filed and ultimately approved, in order to correct the harmful effects of impunity generated by the Supreme Court’s unjust decision.
Finally, we reiterate the need to bring to the public debate the urgency of a far‑reaching reform of the Judiciary and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, so that the public can count on a justice system insulated from corruption and one that guarantees the protection of human rights and democratic principles—the foundations of a true democratic and social state governed by the rule of law.
Association of Jurists for Democracy – AJD
Santiago, Chile – October 5, 2025
