Powerful Chilean lawyer ordered detained on corruption charges in case shaking the country’s elite

Associated Press

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — One of Chile’s most powerful lawyers has been ordered detained pending trial after being indicted 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 Chile’s capital accepted the prosecution’s request Tuesday to transfer criminal lawyer Luis Hermosilla to state custody. It is the latest development in a high-profile corruption scandal that blew up last November when leaked audio recordings appeared to show Hermosilla telling a client about bribes he planned to pay officials at Chile’s main market regulators. Hermosilla has denied all charges. The case has shocked the country, which is consistently ranked among the least corrupt in the region.