The president of the Court of Appeals of Santiago, Omar Astudillo, announced that an administrative investigation will be carried out once morest Judge Daniel Urrutia. This arises in the midst of the controversy over the benefits of video calls that the magistrate had granted to highly dangerous prisoners in the 7th Guarantee Court of Santiago.

Astudillo pointed out that the measure seeks to “investigate the situation that occurred and clarify some facts that require greater precision.” The decision was made by the full court of appeal following the unanimous revocation of the authorization of video calls for inmates of the Special High Security Penitentiary Facility (Repas), according to Radio ADN.

In the ruling, the Seventh Chamber of the Court of Appeals of Santiago invalidated the authorizations granted by Urrutia and annulled the appealed resolution of January 25, 2024. In addition, the inmates’ requests to make video calls with third parties and access to intimate visits.

The president of the court explained that the administrative investigation aims to clarify the facts and determine if there were irregularities in the decisions made by Judge Urrutia. If anomalies are detected, Urrutia might face consequences ranging from reprimand to expulsion from office.

The controversy

The controversy broke out when Urrutia authorized video calls for four inmates and an intimate visit for a Colombian prisoner convicted of drug trafficking. Given this, the Gendarmerie presented a de facto appeal, taking the case to the Court of Appeals, which decreed an order not to innovate, suspending the magistrate’s resolution.