The Seventh Chamber of the Santiago Court of Appeals left the review of the querella de capítulos against former prosecutor Manuel Guerra in agreement, in a branch of the Audio case. The Public Ministry seeks to formalize him for alleged crimes such as bribery and breach of secrecy. Additionally, the Arica Prosecutor's Office confirms it is investigating possible links between Guerra and the Belarus plot.
The Seventh Chamber of the Santiago Court of Appeals reviewed on Tuesday the querella de capítulos filed against former regional Oriente prosecutor Manuel Guerra, as part of a branch derived from the Audio case. Eugenio Campos, head prosecutor of the National Prosecutor's Anti-Corruption Unit, presented the Public Ministry's arguments to the judges, highlighting evidence that establishes the plausibility of crimes such as aggravated bribery, administrative prevarication, and breach of secrecy. These are based on statements, reports, information requests, and WhatsApp messages, among other elements.
Guerra's defense, represented by attorney Felipe Polanco, argued against the imputation. "This is the stage we were expecting; we had prepared. We were able to address all the chapters of the imputation and we hope the court accepts our arguments to discard the imputation," Polanco stated. If not accepted, he anticipated an appeal to the Supreme Court and subsequent stages such as formalization and trial to prove Guerra's innocence.
The querella was driven by the regional prosecutor of Arica and Parinacota, Mario Carrera, since August 2024. Guerra is under investigation for the alleged exchange of information with lawyer Luis Hermosilla on cases like Penta, Dominga, Exalmar, and the case against former PDI director Héctor Espinosa. Guerra defended his work: "Until the last day at the Prosecutor's Office, I was a public servant, never a Piñera official... I was rather an opponent."
Carrera noted that more evidence is being analyzed for possible expansion of the querella, including Guerra's communications with former Supreme Court minister Ángela Vivanco, related to the Belarus plot, according to a T13 report. Those messages were requested from prosecutor Carmen Gloria Wittwer for analysis. If new criminal facts linked to the investigation emerge, it could expand to other branches. After the arguments, the case was left in agreement, and the sentence will be announced on Friday, January 2, 2026.
