Rodrigo Rettig
Rodrigo Rettig Vargas is a Chilean attorney, scholar, politician and pundit dedicated to criminal law. He became known for representing people defrauded by Alberto Chang. He was elected in June 2025 as a member of the Chilean Bar Association with the majority of the Todas y Todos List, which represents the left-wing sector
His professional career has been characterized by high-profile litigation on behalf of members of civil society affected by the negligence of private and public institutions. This has earned him media appearances and the status of columnist in online newspapers.
A follower of social-liberal ideology, he has explored the development of these ideas through scholar articles. He has been quoted by progressive foreign media outlets such as Jacobin. He has also lectured on law at universities, colleges, and other venues.
Rettig is a member of the Chilean Liberal Party, and previously was a member of the Citizens party, from which he was Secretary General.
Early life
Rettig was born in the capital city Santiago into a family with a reformist political tradition.He completed his Bachelor of laws at the Finis Terrae University.
Biography
He began his public career as municipal administrator of the municipality of Futrono from 2011 to 2012. Subsequently, from 2013 to 2016, he served as National Head of the Denuncia Seguro Program linked to the Chilean Undersecretariat for Crime Prevention. Since 2017, he has worked as a litigator.His first high-profile case was the "Chang case", where he was the plaintiff in the fraud lawsuit against Alberto Chang. He represented more than sixty victims, including José Miguel Viñuela and Josefina Montané. In this context, Rettig also sued Santander and de Chile banks for failing to alert him about suspicious transactions related to Chang's checking accounts.
Another well-known case he litigated was the Primus case. He has also participated in legal actions to ensure that the Chilean State guarantees material access to people without the resources to pay for medical operations.
In August 2025, he was registered as a representative of the Liberal Party in the Unity for Chile Pact as a candidate for deputy for District 11, which includes the communes of La Reina, Peñalolén, Lo Barnechea, Vitacura, and Las Condes.
Works
Papers
Cuál es la justificación teórica y empírica para aceptar la denuncia anónima y qué efecto tiene ésta en el control del delito. El caso de Chile, 2010–2015Programa Denuncia Seguro: desacreditando el mito de la denuncia anónimaPobreza y desigualdadPolítica, políticas públicas, pobreza y desigualdad. Análisis del texto de Evelyne Huber- ''Elección directa de intendentes, ¿fortalece o debilita al Estado chileno?''