Landau, January 30, 2026. In December 2025, Chilean media reported on a new bribery scandal in connection with the “Dominga” mining and port project of the Andes Iron company. Sphenisco reported on this on January 9, 2026, under the headline “New bribery scandal – were court rulings bought in favor of ‘Dominga’?” A new decision by the Court of Appeals in Antofagasta is currently expected in the “Dominga” case. This prompted Nancy Duman, president of Fundación Sphenisco Chile, to write a letter to the editor on the subject. The letter was published in El Mercurio, Antofagasta and Calama edition:
The Dominga case
The review of the Dominga case by the Antofagasta Court of Appeals has raised high expectations among the public, residents of the affected region, researchers, the tourism industry, and the scientific community. What should be a transparent and legally compliant process is now marked by mistrust and uncertainty, as this process has been marred by irregularities in the past. It is legitimate to ask: Can we continue to have confidence in the court proceedings and the content of the upcoming ruling? These doubts are not unfounded.
In recent weeks, the press has uncovered serious and alarming cases in which lawyers have influenced court decisions through bribery. These incidents are by no means isolated cases and have once again shaken the credibility of the legal system. They force us to ask whether we are dealing with a similar scenario here. Added to this is the appointment of a former senator with known connections to judges on the environmental court, some of whom have previously ruled in favor of Dominga. Is this just a coincidence or part of a strategy to achieve a favorable outcome?
We Chileans deserve clear answers, because this is not just about a
mega mining port project with serious technical flaws and irreversible impacts on the Los Choros groundwater reservoir and the Humboldt Archipelago, but also about trust in our institutions. Where transparency should be the rule, any doubt undermines the legitimacy of judicial decisions. It is therefore imperative that the court act with absolute independence and ensure that the proceedings are free from undue influence. The country cannot afford to allow particular interests to take precedence over the common good.
Nancy Duman
Spokesperson for the Humboldt Alliance Coquimbo-Atacama
Translated with DeepL.com and checked by Angelika Veelken