According to the Legal Medical Service, the psychiatrist and former UDI senator, hired to carry out expert reports in criminal cases between 2018 and 2022, should not have been assigned to a case of human rights violations during the dictatorship. (UPDATED).
- SML statement:
- The National Directorate of the Legal Medical Service (SML) announced the opening of an administrative summary.
- Objective: clarify the irregular assignment of an expert opinion in the San Rosendo-Laja case.
- Case Context:
- Case related to violations of Human Rights during the dictatorship.
- It involves the convicted former Carabineros sergeant José Jacinto Otárola Sanhueza.
- Expert opinion carried out by the psychiatrist and former UDI senator Jacqueline Van Rysselberghe (JVR).
- Details of the Expertise:
- JVR hired to carry out expert reports in criminal cases considered “gaps” between 2018 and 2022.
- SML clarifies that these expert reports do not include human rights violations during the dictatorship, and are not part of the “Gap Plan.”
- SML Actions:
- An administrative summary was conducted to determine the reasons for the assignment and possible responsibilities.
- As a preventive measure, all cases related to human rights violations and expert reports will be coordinated centrally from the Medical Subdirectorate.
- Comments from the Government and Authorities:
- In April, the Government of President Gabriel Boric de-dramatized the hiring of JVR in the SML.
- The presidential delegate of Biobío, Daniela Dresdner, prioritized technical capacity over the political party.
- Jaime Tellez, regional director of the SML, mentioned the lack of demand in competitions for health professionals and stated that “the political factor is not an issue.”
- Details about JVR:
- He only works at the SML on Fridays.
- He participated in the 1988 plebiscite and in Hernán Büchi’s presidential campaign in 1989.
- He did not win his seat in the Ñuble Region constituency in 2021.
- He returned to psychiatry at the Clínica Sanatorio Alemán de Concepción in March 2022.
- Future of the Summary:
- The SML seeks to ensure more rigorous and appropriate management of sensitive cases of high historical and social relevance.