Fernando Rabat

Fernando Rabat (born c. 1972) is a Chilean lawyer and academic. Since March 11, 2026, he has served as the Minister of Justice and Human Rights under the administration of President José Antonio Kast.^[1]

Rabat completed his primary and secondary education at the Colegio del Verbo Divino, where he served as President of the Student Council in 1990.

He entered the Faculty of Law at the University of the Andes (Chile), where he was recognized as the top student of his class, receiving the "Law Faculty Award" and the "Estudio Claro y Cía." award for excellence in Civil Law. He was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of Chile in May 1997.

He developed much of his career as a partner at the law firm Rodríguez, Vergara y Cía. Abogados Ltda. In private practice, he was part of legal teams involved in the defense of former head of state Augusto Pinochet, including proceedings related to the Riggs Bank case and investigations arising from Operation Colombo.^[2]

Additionally, he represented Lucía Hiriart in legal actions before the Supreme Court seeking the restitution of assets and properties linked to the Pinochet family.^[3]

In the public sector, he served on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Legal Aid Corporation (CAJ) during the second administration of Sebastián Piñera (2018–2022).

Rabat is a professor of Civil Law at the Universidad del Desarrollo (UDD), where he has taught in postgraduate programs and specialized seminars.^[4] He has authored several articles in specialized legal journals focusing on contractual liability and Supreme Court jurisprudence.

On March 11, 2026, he was appointed Minister of Justice and Human Rights. His administration has prioritized strengthening the judicial system and reforming the prison system to improve public safety.^[1]