The Talca Oral Criminal Court rescheduled the trial of former Deputy Francisco Pulgar this Friday, setting it for November 23, 2027. The hearing was due to begin on October 19 of this year.
La Tercera reported the change, and the Maule Prosecutor’s Office also confirmed it, according to ADN Radio. Pulgar is accused of rape and repeated sexual abuse of a minor under 14.
The postponement followed a change in his defense team. The lawyers representing the former lawmaker withdrew from representing him, meaning they ceased to be his defense counsel in the case. His new lawyers requested a change of date to safeguard the defendant’s fundamental rights.
According to the Maule Prosecutor’s Office, the request was submitted as a "safeguard of rights", a procedure that allows a party to ask the court to protect rights such as having a prepared defense. The court granted the request. The sources do not report the case number (RIT or RUC, the codes that identify a judicial proceeding).
The investigation began in May 2021. That month, a woman reported incidents that allegedly occurred when she was a minor to the Talca Sexual Crimes Investigation Brigade of the Investigative Police (PDI).
In October 2024, on the 23rd of that month, the judges sitting in the full Talca Court of Appeals approved the lifting of Pulgar’s parliamentary immunity while he was a deputy. That procedure removes the protection that prevents a lawmaker from being prosecuted, and the Supreme Court later upheld it. In February 2025, the Prosecutor’s Office formally notified him of the charges before a judge.
The case has already passed the indictment stage: the Public Prosecutor’s Office formally filed its charges and is seeking 12 years of imprisonment in the medium range of the major imprisonment category. It is also seeking the additional penalties under Article 28 of the Criminal Code, which include permanent disqualification from public office and political rights.
Pulgar retains the presumption of innocence until a verdict is issued. While awaiting trial, he remains under full house arrest, the precautionary measure currently in force against him.
