Favio Freire was disconnected from the Intendencia
The department of Cerro Largo again crosses a strong shake after uncovering an irregular scheme of driving licenses in the municipality of Isidoro Noblía.
The magnitude of the case lit the alarms when it was found that, in just six months, in this small border town with Brazil – which does not exceed 2,800 inhabitants – they had been issued between 1,300 and almost 4,000 driving permits, a figure that long exceeds the population of the area.
The situation led the departmental mayor, Christian Morel, to immediately suspend licenses in the municipality a few weeks ago.
According to complaints collected by the Prosecutor’s Office and the Police, there was a network that would have allowed access to the document without complying with the corresponding evidence, in exchange for payments that were around 15,000 Uruguayan pesos. In some cases, transfers to private accounts were even identified, which reinforces the suspicions of administrative corruption.
The investigation, baptized “File operation”, is in charge of the Second Turn prosecutor, led by Dr. Letizia Siqueira, in coordination with the Investigation Division of the Police Headquarters.
So far, 9 (nine) people have been arrested in different parts of the country, including residents of Noblía and Aceguá, as well as people based in Montevideo and Canelones.
Several of them were already investigated and are expected to be formalized in the next judicial instances.
They disconnect Freire from the position of trust he occupies in the Intendencia
In the midst of this situation appears the name of Favio Freire, former mayor of Noblía and currently in charge of the Municipal Police. Although it has not been summoned by justice or among the detainees, its link with the management of the municipality left him in the center of the controversy. At a press conference, Mayor Morel announced his temporary separation from the position, while the investigation progresses.
Freire, on the other hand, insists that he had no knowledge of any irregular maneuver and refuses to have been involved in the granting of licenses out of norm. He assures that the procedures followed in his municipality were adjusted to national regulations, although he recognizes the magnitude of the problem that today shakes the Noblía.
At the moment, the political decision is that the former mayor remain from the management, receiving the corresponding subsidy for having been municipal authority, until justice determines its degree of responsibility or exempts it from any accusation.
The case continues under investigation and, according to sources linked to research, new arrests and judicial measures could arise in the next few days. The truth is that, beyond individual responsibilities, the episode exposes a serious violation in administrative controls and places Noblía – a small and quiet town – in the epicenter of one of the greatest recent institutional scandals in Cerro Largo.
