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Belarusian plot: Mario Vargas' defense points to lack of antecedents and asks to replace preventive prison with house arrest
CL🏛️ PoliticsCenter9 days ago

Belarusian plot: Mario Vargas' defense points to lack of antecedents and asks to replace preventive prison with house arrest

In Chile, the Seventh Court of Guarantee in Santiago reviewed the precautionary measures for Mario Vargas, Eduardo Lagos Herrera, and Gonzalo Migueles as part of the investigation known as the 'Belarus plot.' During the hearing, Migueles withdrew his request for a review of precautionary measures, while Lagos also decided not to testify. The three defendants have been in preventive detention since November after being formally charged with bribery, money laundering, and repeated coercion. Vargas' defense requested full house arrest, arguing there were no prior records indicating his involvement beyond friendships with other accused individuals. His lawyer emphasized Vargas' voluntary surrender of devices and cooperation with authorities, claiming he was unaware of Lagos' alleged actions. The prosecution opposed changing the precautionary measures, stating new evidence strengthens the charges against them. The court is expected to continue deliberations on Friday.

On Thursday morning, the Seventh Criminal Court of Santiago conducted a review of precautionary measures for Mario Vargas, Eduardo Lagos Herrera, and Gonzalo Migueles in the context of the so-called Belarusian scheme investigation. During the hearing, Migueles, former partner of ex-Supreme Court minister Ángela Vivanco, withdrew his request to revise the precautionary measures. It was anticipated that Lagos would testify, but he opted instead to decline participation. The three individuals have been held in preventive detention since November last year, following formal charges of bribery and money laundering against Vargas and Lagos Herrera, and repeated corruption and money laundering against Migueles. In this session, Lagos’s defense team requested a change in precautionary measures to partial home arrest, arguing that preventive detention is disproportionate. They cited changes made in the precautionary measures of Ángela Vivanco and recently Joaquín Lavín León as precedents. Meanwhile, Vargas's defense sought complete home arrest, asserting that there are no records indicating his total involvement beyond his friendship with other co-defendants. His lawyer, Sergio Contreras, highlighted Vargas's cooperation with authorities, noting that he voluntarily turned himself in to Carabineros, surrendered his mobile phone, and provided access codes to his email accounts. Contreras emphasized that Vargas had no knowledge of the operations carried out by Lagos, which led to a heated discussion between them. He stated that Vargas was concerned about whether the information in the report was accurate, and that Migueles confirmed that Vargas was unaware of the financial transactions involving a bank account with 45 million pesos. Contreras further noted that the funds in question did not originate from Vargas's personal account, suggesting that Vargas acted in good faith once he became aware of the situation. He described the actions taken by Vargas as a response to the allegations, consistent with statements from the secretary, lawyers, and Migueles himself. In contrast, the Public Prosecutor’s Office opposed the proposed change in precautionary measures for both Vargas and Lagos, stating that their backgrounds have not changed and that new evidence has actually strengthened the charges against them. The court session is expected to continue on Friday, with the defense presenting its counterarguments and Judge Freddy Cubillos delivering the final decision. According to the ongoing investigation, the two attorneys, representing the Chilean-Belarusian consortium Belaz Movitec, were allegedly involved in paying large bribes to ex-minister Ángela Vivanco and her partner, Gonzalo Migueles, in order to influence the Supreme Court’s rulings in their favor.

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La Tercera logoLa TerceraIndependent🔒CenterFactual 85Objective 7210 days ago
Belarusian plot: Mario Vargas' defense points to lack of antecedents and asks to replace preventive prison with house arrest

In Chile, the Seventh Court of Guarantee in Santiago reviewed the precautionary measures for Mario Vargas, Eduardo Lagos Herrera, and Gonzalo Migueles as part of the investigation known as the 'Belarus plot.' During the hearing, Migueles withdrew his request for a review of precautionary measures, while Lagos also decided not to testify. The three defendants have been in preventive detention since November after being formally charged with bribery, money laundering, and repeated coercion. Vargas' defense requested full house arrest, arguing there were no prior records indicating his involvement beyond friendships with other accused individuals. His lawyer emphasized Vargas' voluntary surrender of devices and cooperation with authorities, claiming he was unaware of Lagos' alleged actions. The prosecution opposed changing the precautionary measures, stating new evidence strengthens the charges against them. The court is expected to continue deliberations on Friday.

Bias read (Center): The article presents both the defense arguments and the prosecution's opposition without overtly favoring either side. It includes direct quotes from both legal representatives and provides factual background on the case without apparent ideological framing or biased language.

Why factuality (85): The article provides detailed information about the legal proceedings related to Mario Vargas, Eduardo Lagos Herrera, and Gonzalo Migueles in the 'Bielorussian plot' case. It accurately reports the court process, the charges (bribery and money laundering), and the defense arguments regarding bail co

Why objectivity (72): The article presents the defense arguments from both sides but maintains a somewhat sympathetic tone towards Vargas, highlighting his cooperation with authorities. While it remains largely factual, there is a slight bias in emphasizing Vargas' compliance as a positive trait, which may influence read

La Tercera logoLa TerceraIndependent🔒CenterFactual 75Objective 659 days ago
Belarusian plot: court maintains preventive detention of Mario Vargas and Eduardo Lagos

The Seventh Guarantee Court in Santiago rejected a request to modify the preventive detention measures of Mario Vargas and Eduardo Lagos Herrera, who remain in custody as part of the 'Belarus plot' investigation. The two lawyers, representing the Chilean-Belarusian consortium Belaz Movitec, are accused of allegedly paying large bribes to former Supreme Court minister Ángela Vivanco and Gonzalo Migueles to influence court decisions. Their defense teams argued that preventive detention was disproportionate, citing changes in the bail conditions of other defendants like Ángela Vivanco and Joaquín Lavín León. Vargas’ defense requested full home arrest, arguing there is no evidence of his involvement beyond friendship with other suspects, while Lagos’ team sought partial home arrest.

Bias read (Center): The article presents the legal proceedings and arguments from both sides without overtly favoring any particular political faction. It reports on the judicial decision and the defense claims objectively, without evident ideological slant. While the case involves high-profile individuals and has政治imp

Why factuality (75): The article reports on the ongoing legal proceedings regarding Mario Vargas and Eduardo Lagos Herrera in the 'Bielorussian plot' case. It provides details about their continued preventive detention, the involvement of Gonzalo Migueles, and the defense arguments. While there is no primary source docu

Why objectivity (65): The article presents the legal situation from the perspective of the court and the defendants' defense, but it uses emotionally charged language such as 'desproporcional' (disproportionate) when describing the preventive detention. The tone leans slightly towards supporting the defense's position, s

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