It was the year 2019 and a new controversy splashed the Public Ministry commanded by the now former national prosecutor George Abbott. That year, the National Prosecutor’s Office signed a controversial agreement with the Episcopal Conference of Chile (CECH) with the aim of promoting the exchange of information between both institutions and that involved members of the Chilean Catholic Church. The persecuting entity promised to keep the CECH informed of the course of the investigations against officials of the same church. “The Public Prosecutor’s Office undertakes to provide the National Council for the Prevention of Abuses and Accompaniment of Victims of the CECH with information on causes of crimes of a sexual nature committed by diocesan clergy, provided that this does not violate the provisions of Article 182 of the Criminal Procedure Code. ” the agreement said.
The bomb immediately exploded and due to cross-sectional criticism -including that of victims of abuse- prosecutor Abbott had to retract and annul the agreement. But the stain remained and it was one of the events that weakened the Prosecutor’s Office that Abbott leaves. What’s more, in his last days in charge of the institution and as a farewell, he made a mea culpa, describing this agreement as “an error.”
Sources close to the victims point out that if this was a mistake, how could nobody advise the former national prosecutor on the inconvenience of signing an agreement of this nature and in the midst of an investigation into the abuses of the Church. However, the document in question was reviewed by the Legal Department of the National Prosecutor’s Office, and therefore validated, as can be seen from the signature that accompanies that of Abbott and that of Luis Fernando Ramos, the then Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference. The signature corresponds to that of Marta Herrera, head of the Legal Advice Unit of the National Prosecutor’s Office, and today a candidate for National Prosecutor.
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Precisely, and due to her position as head of the Legal Department of the Prosecutor’s Office, Herrera had to sign the document, what can be seen on page 7 of the signed agreement. There, under the large signatures of Abbott and Ramos, appears a small MHS heading. That is, Marta Herrera Seguel.
Among the main critics of the agreement were the victims of Fernando Karadima, who argued that “this agreement is a great ethical and legal error by the Prosecutor’s Office, since they tacitly agree to something that is precisely the point to be investigated: the cover-up and lack of transparency “.
From the political world they also reacted, such as the deputy René Saffirio: “Impossible to find something more illegal and immoral than the collaboration agreement signed between the Public Ministry (body that must investigate and prosecute criminals) and the Catholic Church (institution investigated for sexual crimes against minors). Where are you Republic?
Although this agreement was left without effect, the causes of cover-up for which Cardinals Francisco Errázuriz and Ricardo Ezzati were being investigated, with the passing of the months and the changes of prosecutors, came to nothing.
