Skip to main content
Powerful Chilean lawyer detained over alleged money laundering and tax fraud
A Chilean national flag waves as the moon rises in Santiago, Chile, Oct. 27, 2023

ONE of Chile’s most powerful lawyers was ordered to be detained on Tuesday pending trial on money laundering and tax fraud charges in a case that has rocked the country’s corporate and political elite.

After five days of hearings, a court in the capital accepted the prosecution’s request to transfer criminal lawyer Luis Hermosilla to state custody.

It was the latest development in a high-profile corruption scandal that blew up last November when leaked audio recordings appeared to show Mr Hermosilla telling a former client about bribes he planned to pay officials at Chile’s two main market regulators.

Liberation webinar, 30 November2024, 6pm (UK)
Support the Morning Star
You can read five articles for free every month,
but please consider supporting us by becoming a subscriber.
More from this author
GLOBAL ANGER: Indians burn a US flag at a protest against Tr
Features / 8 April 2025
8 April 2025
While the immediate impact is disastrous, the US president’s actions could lead more nations to seek greater trading stability by refocusing their economies towards each other and countries such as China, writes ROGER McKENZIE