According to T13, a doctor convicted of sexually abusing patients in the O'Higgins Region and three people sentenced for sexual offenses committed in the Valparaíso Region are among the 56 convicted prisoners granted sentence reductions by the Ministry of Justice. Reportajes Teletrece corroborated the information, and no other source has confirmed it so far.
The outlet Interferencia first revealed that these benefits had been granted. Justice Minister Fernando Rabat signed the exempt decrees, and the case sparked a political crisis within President José Antonio Kast's government.
Reportajes Teletrece obtained the full identities of four of the 56 inmates. The channel decided not to publish the convicted prisoners' names or information that could identify the victims, to avoid revictimizing them.
The first case involves the doctor. He was convicted in October 2022 of four counts of sexual abuse against patients in O'Higgins, and some 20 women had reported him. According to the trial records, the offenses occurred while he was practicing medicine.
According to the information gathered by T13, the doctor is reportedly already free. The channel says he now runs a leather handbag business, a craft he learned in the prison where he was held.
The second case involves a man from a victim's family circle, convicted of repeated rape in the Valparaíso Region. The same ruling convicted another person from the victim's circle of sexually abusing her. According to T13, this person also reportedly received a sentence reduction.
The fourth case involves a laborer convicted of sexual abuse in the Valparaíso Region. He sexually assaulted at least four people and was convicted on December 18, 2015.
The report does not provide the case number (RIT, the internal case number used by each court, or RUC, the unique case number assigned by the Prosecutor's Office) for any of the cases. It also does not say how much each sentence was reduced or include a direct response from the victims.
This Friday, the government suspended the processing of sentence reduction decrees. According to Periodismo2, the Ministry of Justice acknowledged a legal loophole in the restrictions established in 2022 and is preparing bills to limit these reductions. However, it will not revoke those already granted.
The opposition is considering bringing a constitutional impeachment charge against Rabat, a political trial handled by Congress, and some lawmakers are already calling for his departure. They argue that the minister bears political responsibility because he signed the decrees.
Supreme Court President Gloria Ana Chevesich clarified that the minister issued the decrees using his legal powers. She added that the courts can review these decisions if someone files a habeas corpus petition, a legal action challenging an unlawful infringement of personal liberty.
