Attorney Jorge Valladares Opazo has formally resigned from representing former Supreme Court Justice Ángela Vivanco. The notice, filed with Santiago’s Seventh Guarantee Court, leaves the defendant without active private counsel in the case.
In a filing submitted to the court, the lawyer expressed his intention to withdraw from representing the former magistrate. “For strictly professional reasons, I am resigning from the legal representation and power of attorney granted to me by Ms. Ángela Francisca Vivanco Martínez,” Valladares stated in the court document.
Upon learning of the resignation, Judge Cristian Azócar granted the request and ordered the case to be transferred to the Public Defense Office. The institution, headed by Víctor Providel, will provide Vivanco with provisional legal defense.
This court-appointed designation will serve as a transition period while the former justice works to secure a new legal team. The court left the door open for a reorganization of the legal strategy in the coming days.
The "Belarusian Plot" Investigation
Valladares' departure comes at a time of significant legal complexity for Vivanco. The attorney had recently led the filing of an injunction aimed at overturning the pretrial detention currently being served by the former justice.
The case, known as the "Belarusian Plot," investigates alleged irregularities in judicial proceedings. The investigation focuses on activities related to legal disputes between the Belaz Movitec consortium and the state-owned company Codelco.
Prosecutors are seeking to determine whether illicit maneuvers occurred within the context of these commercial disputes. The investigation has placed the former magistrate's actions in cases related to the conflict under intense scrutiny.
At the end of March, Vivanco's legal situation worsened following a hearing at the Seventh Guarantee Court. During the proceedings, she was charged with new counts of repeated bribery and money laundering.
Despite defense attempts to modify her pretrial status, the former justice remains in pretrial detention as the investigation continues.
