Codelco has dismissed eight employees, among them Salvador general manager Patricio Viveros, who is replaced by Felipe Lagno, after new evidence emerged in the state miner’s investigation into over-reported copper production across its Chuquicamata, Ministro Hales and Salvador divisions and its Santiago headquarters. Audits have identified about 20,000 tonnes included in December 2025 production records without qualifying as output, and roughly 27,000 tonnes, about 2 percent of Codelco’s reported 2025 own-mine production, improperly booked as commercially ready material, though the company says its audited 2025 financial statements need no changes. A criminal investigation led by regional prosecutor Aquiles Cubillos, external reviews by Ernst & Young and KPMG, and a separate audit by Chile’s Comptroller General are all still running, and an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting on November 5 will examine the inconsistencies in the production figures.
Codelco dismisses eight more in copper output probe
Codelco has dismissed eight more employees, including Salvador general manager Patricio Viveros, after investigations into over-reported copper production found about 27,000 tonnes, roughly 2 percent of reported 2025 own-mine output, improperly booked as commercially ready material.
Why it matters: The output figures of the world's largest copper producer are now under criminal investigation and external audit at the same time, with an extraordinary shareholders' meeting set for November 5 and the reliability of reported production, and the bonuses paid against it, in question.
Data as of Mining.com report by Cecilia Jamasmie, October 30, 2026, read in full in this run; single-sourced to trade-press reporting of Codelco's statements and the audit findings, not yet checked against Codelco's own release.
Sources
- Codelco accounting scandal claims eight more employees - Mining.com - 2026-10-30