Judiciary thrusts itself into campaign

Judge Claudio Bonadío leaves the Comodoro Py courthouse in a file photo.

Bonadío summons government ministers as prosecutors probe BA City administration

The electoral campaign ahead of the October 25 elections is going to the courts, with magistrates promoting investigations against both Kirchnerite officials and allies of Buenos Aires City Mayor and Let’s Change (Cambiemos) presidential candidate Mauricio Macri.

Federal Judge Claudio Bonadío yesterday decided to summon Cabinet Chief Aníbal Fernández — who is also the ruling Victory Front (FpV) gubernatorial candidate in Buenos Aires province — to be questioned as a suspect in what he has characterized as a potentially irregular call to tender of the “Qunita” plan (an intentional misspelling of the word “crib”), a programme that supplies baby products for pregnant women who are beneficiaries of a government allowance.

Bonadío — seen as the Pink House’s foe at the Comodoro Py courthouse — also summoned Health Minister Daniel Gollán and his predecessor, Juan Manzur, governor-elect of Tucumán.

Prosecutor Paloma Ochoa — seen as an ally of Attorney General Alejandra Gils Carbó — provided the equivalent of a counterattack yesterday, launching an investigation involving PRO officials in money-laundering, originally filed by the Attorney General’s Unit on Economic Crime and Money-Laundering (Procelac).

Bonadío decided to summon Fernández and 22 other suspects to appear before him this month and in November, Infobae reported. The complaint was originally filed by Buenos Aires City legislator Graciela Ocaña and endorsed by federal prosecutor Eduardo Taiano.

The Cabinet chief will have to appear before the judge as will Gollán and his number two, Nicolás Kreplak.

Bonadío — a judge appointed during the Carlos Menem presidency — believes there were irregularities in the call to tender for 140,000 kits to be delivered to pregnant women.

The programme — which was announced in July by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner — was designed as a way to motivate pregnant women to seek medical attention in order to reduce maternal and infant medical complications. The estimated value of the kit is 11,000 pesos, CFK explained during a national broadcast.

The call to tender was signed by CFK in June. The resolution was also endorsed by Gollán but his number two was said to be in charge of the programme. Manzur was also summoned by Bonadío because the plan was in progress while he was commanding the Health ministry. Manzur won the elections in Tucumán held in August amid accusations of fraud from the opposition, which were then quashed by the provincial Supreme Court.

Bonadío also wants to question the executives of the company that was allegedly favoured by the tender and received 1.1 billion pesos. The company, FASANO SRL, sold 115,000 kits to the national government. Each kit cost 7,850 pesos.

The Nation’s General Syndicate (SIGEN) established a reference price before the call for tender of 6,600 pesos, but the Health Ministry decided to move forward in spite of the difference between the cost suggested by Fasano and the price suggested by the SIGEN.

Bonadío has long been involved in a bitter feud with the Pink House. Last year, following a complaint filed by Progressives presidential candidate Margarita Stolbizer, Bonadío opened the so-called Hotesur case, ordering to raid the company that runs the hotels that belong to CFK and her relatives.

Earlier this year, he also sent Macri’s Metropolitan Police to seize information from Máximo Kirchner’s offices in Santa Cruz. He was later removed from the case by the Federal Criminal Appeals Court, which put the probe in the hands of Federal Judge Daniel Rafecas. Stolbizer challenged the judge but he rejected her recusal request yesterday.

The government fought back against Bonadío at the Magistrates Council, the body in charge of the selection and removal of judges. Justice Secretary Julián Álvarez promoted several complaints against Bonadío, but the FpV could not muster the necessary votes to place the judge before an impeachment tribunal. In December, the Council slashed Bonadío’s salary.

Money-laundering

Federal prosecutor Paloma Ochoa charged Buenos Aires City Culture Minister Hernán Lombardi along with Matteo Goretti Comolli, an executive at the PRO think tank Fundacion Pensar and Facundo De Almeida, a member of the Council for the Cultural Promotion in the City with money-laundering.

The investigation will have to determine whether Goretti Comolli used the CEPPA Foundation — which he also led — to whitewash funds provided by the BA City Government. According to the Procelac — the unit headed by federal prosecutor Carlos Gonella, the money was then donated to Pensar.

According to the complaint filed by Gonella, CEPPA received 1.3 million pesos, thanks to administrative documents signed by Lombardi.

“Those funds were not allocated to promote cultural activities as it was expected,” Ochoa wrote in her resolution.

Ochoa explained that, for instance, CEPPA donated 150,000 pesos without specifying the reason.

The prosecutor also explained that during the investigation other suspects may emerge.

The Procelac received reports from the Financial Information Unit — headed by José Sbatella — claiming that Goretti Comolli was CEPPA’s legal representative and was also the administrator of the bank accounts that belonged to Pensar.

PRO lawmaker Sergio Bergman, City Education Minister Esteban Bullrich, former Metropolitan Police chief Eugenio Burzaco, Macri’s running mate Gabriela Michetti are among the members of the think tank along with the recently-elected BA City mayor, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and María Eugenia Vidal, Let’s Change gubernatorial candidate in Buenos Aires province.

A bitter memory

Macri’s PRO was jolted last month by the criminal investigation involving journalist Fernando Niembro, who headed the Let’s Change ticket in the province.

In September, Procelac went to the courts after several media reports indicated that La Usina Producciones — a company that in the past belonged to Niembro — had several irregular contracts with Macri’s administration. Some of the contracts were carried out because the City administration officials explained they needed to hire the company for “urgent reasons.” The urgency allowed the administration to skip steps in a tender and directly hire the services of the company owned by Niembro and that is now in the hands of Alberto Meza, who was also a substitute PRO candidate but dropped out from the electoral contest amid the controversy over the contracts.

Niembro also decided to decline his candidacy and accused the national government of being behind an operation against him.

Federal prosecutor Ramiro González agreed with Gonella and charged Niembro. His legal situation is going to be analyzed by Federal Judge Sebastián Casanello.

Herald staff with Online Media

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Director: Orlando Mario Vignatti - Edition No. 4637 - This publication is a property of NEFIR S.A. -RNPI Nº 5236549 - Issn 1852 - 9224 - Te. 4349-1500 - San Juan 141 , (C1063ACY) CABA