Overview
- The Seventh Guarantee Court in Santiago accepted prosecutors’ request after a four‑day hearing, with Judge Cristián Sánchez stating she carried out directly illicit acts that undermined judicial independence.
- Vivanco is being held at the San Joaquín women’s penitentiary after the court found her release posed risks to public safety and the investigation.
- She faces formal charges of bribery and money laundering, and lead prosecutor Carmen Gloria Wittwer described the case as solid.
- Investigators allege she sold rulings through an intermediary, identified as her partner Gonzalo Migueles, in coordination with influential lawyers.
- The ruling follows her October 2024 removal and disqualification by the Senate and constitutes the first preventive detention ordered for a former member of Chile’s highest court.