The Chamber of Deputies unanimously approved the admissibility of the constitutional accusation against suspended Supreme Court Justice Diego Simpértegui, with 132 votes in favor. The libel, pushed by ruling-party deputies, is based on three chapters regarding breaches of probity in key judicial cases. The Senate will now decide the case on December 22, potentially removing him from office if approved by a majority.
In a historic session on December 15, 2025, the Chamber of Deputies unanimously rejected the preliminary issue raised by Diego Simpértegui's defense, with 110 votes against and zero in favor. This paved the way to discuss the merits of the constitutional accusation, which was approved with 132 votes in favor and none against.
The libel, presented by Socialist Party deputies Daniel Manouchehri and Daniella Cicardini, accuses the judge of serious neglect of duties in three areas: failure of probity, abstention, and impartiality in the Codelco vs. Belaz Movitec litigation; conflicts of interest in notarial appointments; and similar breaches in the Fundamenta case. The case is framed within the 'Belarusian plot,' where Simpértegui took a cruise with lawyers Eduardo Lagos and Mario Vargas—currently in preventive prison—days after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Belaz Movitec.
Defense attorney Felipe Lizama alleged formal flaws, such as insufficient review time and alleged prejudgments by deputies, comparing the case to the failed sale of Salvador Allende's house. However, Deputy Maite Orsini, head of the reviewing commission, defended the process: “The preliminary issue is not a judgment on guilt... Rejecting it only opens the debate that the Constitution requires us to open”.
Manouchehri emphasized: “We are facing a Supreme Court judge who ruled in favor of a party represented by his friends... and with whom he took a cruise afterward”. Lizama insisted that Simpértegui personally covered his expenses and that the Senate will have the final say.
The Chamber appointed Carolina Tello (FA), Daniel Manouchehri (PS), and Jorge Rathgeb (RN) to argue the accusation before the Senate, which will sit as a jury on December 22. If approved with at least 26 votes, Simpértegui would be removed from office and barred from public positions for five years.
