Court orders investigation into identity of internet user who linked Desbordes to cover-up
A capital city court instructed detectives to track down who operates a digital account from which serious accusations against the Mayor of Santiago were launched.
Court orders investigation into identity of internet user who linked Desbordes to cover-up
A capital city court instructed police officers to conduct investigations to discover who operates behind a profile on the X platform (formerly Twitter) that disseminated serious accusations against Mario Desbordes, chief magistrate of Santiago. The ruling came from the Seventh Court of Guarantees.
The questioned message, published in mid-January, reached a considerable audience on the network. It suggested that the municipal official would have concealed punishable conduct that occurred in the food stalls of O'Higgins Park during the patriotic celebrations.
In response to such statements, Desbordes opted for legal action and filed a criminal complaint for defamation, advised by his lawyer Sergio Contreras. The magistrate in charge of the case determined that there were sufficient grounds to authorise the investigation into the user's identity.
The court order tasked the PDI's specialised unit in computer crimes with collecting and safeguarding all electronic documentation linked to the anonymous profile. This ranges from validated screenshots to technical records that could shed light on the origin of the publications.
Additionally, the detectives will be required to seek international cooperation to obtain IP address records managed by the company that owns the social network, based in United States territory. Such proceedings could require the intermediation of that country's federal bureau of investigation.
The complaint adds that the internet user's behaviour would not be isolated, but part of a constant practice over several years, primarily directed against leaders of political affiliation opposite to his own, habitually employing offensive expressions.
Finally, the ruling also requested information from a local firm dedicated to monetising digital content, because the questioned user has a mechanism to receive economic contributions from his followers.
Source: Google News CL — Santiago