Last Sunday, Valentina dos Santosformer deputy of National Party by the department of Artigas, He celebrated his 40th birthday. The celebration was on Paseo 7 de Setiembre in the city of Artigas, starting at 6:00 p.m. Through his social networks, Dos Santos extended the invitation to the public and shared images of the event on his Instagram account, thanking “everyone for the beautiful birthday” they organized for him.
The event was attended by her close family – her parents and her son – as well as numerous attendees who came to congratulate the former legislator. The stage, located in the Artigas wooded parkwas decorated with a giant cake and various festive elements, including a sign announcing “happy birthday.” The aforementioned occasion included the participation of the tropical singer Miriam Britoswho recently joined the National Party under the Artigas Adelante sublem, of which Dos Santos had been a part.
The judicial repercussions of the Valentina dos Santos case
In the month of July, the conviction of Valentina dos Santos for the crime of usurpation of functions was made public. This case, under the supervision of prosecutor Federico Rodríguez, determined that she had ordered the payment of overtime without having the authority to do so. Despite the seriousness of the crime, which generally carries prison sentences, Dos Santos will serve a substitute sentence of six months, consisting of community tasks for two months, with two hours of service per week.
The court’s ruling does not ban Dos Santos from holding public office in the future, which has led to speculation about his possible access to the Artigas Municipality. Currently, she is the deputy of Mayor Pablo Caram, who could resign to focus his efforts on his electoral campaign for a deputy seat.
Context of the overtime scandal
The Artigas Mayor’s overtime scandal remains at the center of local controversy. In this context, the judicial agreement reached by Dos Santos’ defense was sealed in a night hearing on the 17th, leaving open public discussion on the ethics and legality of these administrative procedures.
In the same context, Pablo Caram was convicted of “failure to report crimes by officials”, while his cousin Rodolfo Caram and his former partner Stefany Seviero were charged with fraud. Both Valentina dos Santos and Rodolfo Caram decided to resign from the National Party in view of the circumstances. For his part, Pablo Caram has requested that his case be reviewed by his party’s Ethics Commission, as reported by Macarena Rubio, president of its Honorable Board of Directors.
The controversial payment of overtime to Stefany Seviero, with exorbitant amounts, has only intensified scrutiny of Artigas’ local management. The case became known when Seviero’s receipt for December 2022 was disclosed on social networks, where he was paid 93,000 pesos for overtime. This fact, along with other aspects of the case, has shaken the foundations of the party and the local administration.
