Verdict in the Vialidad case: convicted and dismissed

The members of the Federal Oral Court 2, judges Jorge Gorini, Rodrigo Giménez Uriburu and Andrés Basso issued today the sentence of case 2873, mediated as “Vialidad” in which the alleged direction of public road works in Santa Cruz between 2003 and 2015, during the governments of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was investigated. Giménez Uriburu and Basso sentenced Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to 6 years in prison and perpetual disqualification from public office for finding her a participant in the process of the crime of fraudulent administration and urged the confiscation of 84 billion pesos, for the damage caused. Meanwhile, the businessman Lázaro Báez, beneficiary of the public road works, was sentenced to 6 years in prison for finding him participating in the process of the crime of fraudulent administration to the detriment of the public administration, as well as the former Secretary of Public Works, José López, and the former head of the National Directorate of Roads, Nelson Periotti.Al former head of the General Administration of Roads of the Province of Santa Cruz (AGVP), Juan Carlos Villafañe, was given five years in prison. The former head of the AGVP, Raúl Pavesi, was sentenced to four and a half years. Mauricio Collareda, head of District No. 23 Santa Cruz of the National Road Directorate, and José Raúl Santibáñez, former president of the board of AGVP, were given four years. Raúl Daruich, head of District No. 23 “Santa Cruz” of the National Road Directorate, was given three and a half years. In addition, the sentence also included acquittals, to the surprise of many. The court understood that there was no evidence against the former Minister of Planning, Julio de Vido; the former Undersecretary of Public Works, Abel Fatala; and the former president of the General Administration of Roads Province of Santa Cruz, Héctor Garro. Meanwhile, the former Secretary of Planning and cousin of the former president, Carlos Kirchner, was also disaffected from the case, but in his case by prescription. For the court there was “a huge and unprecedented damage to the public coffers” that had as beneficiaries Lázaro Báez and Cristina Fernández Kirchner.On March 9 the foundations of the sentence will be known. From that moment, the parties may appeal to Cassation. 

Original source in Spanish