Attorney José Luis Andrés Alarcón, representing Andrea Romero Jara, issued a public statement to refute the accusations presented in the report titled "The Clues of a Judge Linked to Organized Crime," published on April 6. The attorney characterized the claims connecting his client to drug and arms trafficking activities as false.
According to the attorney, the magistrate of the Los Ángeles Guarantee Court has already ruled out Romero Jara’s involvement in such illicit acts. The defense maintains that there is no evidence to support the allegations that the attorney helped sustain a "criminal enterprise" linked to an individual with the surname Bastardo.
Refuting Judicial Ties
The statement also denies the existence of any "judicial victories" obtained through undue pressure on Judge Cherie Palomera. Alarcón clarified that the judge’s only action was to authorize a search warrant requested by the prosecutor's office, a procedure that resulted in the conviction of the individual in possession of illegal weapons. Furthermore, he noted that the Concepción Court of Appeals cleared the judge of any wrongdoing in the administrative inquiry related to these events.
Regarding the alleged close relationship between the two, the defense dismissed any claims of a tight-knit friendship. "The documented contacts are few and far between, occurring in the courthouse or public spaces, and reflect a normal professional relationship between litigating attorneys and a judge," stated Andrés Alarcón. He added that activities such as sharing a coffee or discussing jurisprudence are standard practices in the legal profession in a city like Los Ángeles.
The defense also categorically denied that his client had handled "insider information" to obtain benefits under Law 20,000. Alarcón asserted that the attorney's husband, during his tenure as a prosecutor, never provided her with confidential information regarding ongoing investigations.
Finally, the attorney expressed regret that the original article omitted his client's side of the story, limiting itself to publishing only the prosecutor's perspective. For its part, La Tercera stated that it attempted to contact all defense teams involved in the case prior to the publication of the report.