The trial for alleged corruption with public works in Santa Cruzwhich has as defendant Cristina Kirchnerwas resumed before the Federal Oral Court 2 in the third day of the prosecution’s argument. Once again, the Vice President was authorized to be absent from the hearing because she was supposedly dedicated to “parliamentary tasks” in the Senate.
This Friday, prosecutors Diego Luciani and Sergio Mola provided evidence to show that Lázaro Báez was competing against himself, in what they classified as “fictitious tenders”, and considered it proven that there was addressing in all contracts received by the employer. They also targeted the son of Cristina Kirchner, the deputy Maximo Kirchner: “Your participation is proven”.
I also read: The Government joined the operation K to defend Cristina after the allegation of the prosecutor of the Vialidad case
Luciani showed that the leader of La Cámpora crossed messages with him then Secretary of Public Works of the Nation Jose Lopez, that kept him up to date on the progress of the various projects works for Santa Cruzeven though he did not hold any political office in 2015.
López, in turn, had contacts with Matías Bezi, a friend of Máximo Kirchner and a provincial deputy. “Were you able to talk to Maxi to define the location of the 100 blocks?” Said one of his messages.
Public Works: the prosecutor denounced that there was addressing in all the contracts that Lázaro Báez received
The prosecutor made this Friday the analysis of each of the tenders. Regarding one of them, number 19 stated: “When this tender was made, Lazarus Baez he had just acquired the share package of Kank and Costilla. We see clearly that three companies bid and were the three companies controlled directly or indirectlythrough share transfers or a power of attorney”.
In other words, companies controlled by Báez were presented in the same tenders in a fictitious competitionwhich for the prosecutor was possible thanks to an authorization from the Executive Branch.
“There was a diversion huge sums of money towards Lázaro Báez, they sought to cover up the lack of capacity of the company, in a rude maneuver”, he stated and assured that he could not believe “how such acts of corruption could go unnoticed”. In one of the cases, he gave as an example, the work “should have been done in 36 months, it took 90 months, overprices were found, they abandoned the work and a new tender was called.
In the last presentation, Luciani had said that in the province of Santa Cruz there was a “Illegal rude addressing” in favor of companies Lazarus Baez in the adjudication of national road public works between 2003 and 2015, with overpricing and non-compliance.
The prosecution remained as the only accusing party in the trial that has lasted more than two years and on Monday it anticipated that it considers that there is evidence to formulate accusations against the 13 defendants for the alleged crimes of illicit association and fraud. The allegation will have a total of nine hearings and then it will be the turn of the defenses.
The trial is carried out semi-attendance, with the judges Jorge Gorini, Andres Basso, and Rodrigo Gimenez Uriburu connected from a courtroom of Comodoro Py 2002 and the rest of the parties remotely. In addition to the Vice President, Báez, the former Minister of Federal Planning July De Vido and former area officials such as Jose Lopez Y Carlos Kirchneramong others.
The Association of Magistrates questioned Soria and Mena for their attacks on prosecutors
The Association of Magistrates and Officials of the National Justice questioned the Minister of Justice, Martin Soriaand the secretary of that portfolio, John Martin Menafor his public opinions regarding the performance of the prosecutors involved in the Vialidad case and argued that they constitute a “Improper and inadmissible interference” of the Executive Power within the scope of another power of the State.
“The expressions of the Minister of Justice Martín Soria and the Secretary of Justice Juan Martín Mena regarding the allegation that the Federal Prosecutors, Diego Luciani and Sergio Mola, are formulating in the oral trial of the case known as “Roadway” does not contribute to strengthening the division of powers”, said the Association of Magistrates through a statement signed by its owner, Marcelo Gallo Tagle.
I also read: The forceful statement of the prosecutor of the Vialidad case: “Lázaro Báez was Néstor and Cristina Kirchner”
“It is a improper and inadmissible interference officials of the Executive Power in the sphere of another power of the State. It should be aspired that those who have been entrusted with a position in the Executive Power exercise it with objectivity and respect for the Republican division of powers”, it was indicated in the same text.
Hours earlier, Minister Soria had considered that the vice president is the subject of a “persecution” that constitutes “the most grotesque expression of lawfare”and assured that the judicial officials who are part of this action “are the same ones who sneaked into Mauricio Macri’s office” when he was president.
“Each judicial official who intervenes in the persecution against Cristina Kirchner secretly entered the office of (Fabián) Pepín Simón (former judicial advisor to the Government of Cambiemos) and Macri in the Casa Rosada. It’s not a coincidence”, remarked Soria in a message posted on his Twitter social network account.
In this context, Soria also published a photo in which you can see one of the federal prosecutors involved in the Vialidad case, Diego Mola, together with the interim attorney general Eduardo Casal; and entry form to Casa Rosada in which the entry of “Mola” appears, on June 16, 2016, during Macri’s administration.
I also read: After Massa’s announcements, the deputies who respond to Grabois threaten to break with the Frente de Todos
Mena, for her part, described “delirious” the position of the prosecution in the trial for the alleged direction of the public works in Santa Cruz and maintained that when he saw the presentation of the prosecutors he understood “why they refused to produce the evidence in this case.”
The Vice Minister of Justice considered, in statements to El Destape Radio, that there is a “kind of television superseries where coaching is too noticeableand the court was lent for this show to be done this way ”.