The trial for alleged crimes with public works in Santa Cruz will resume this Monday with the beginning of the plea of the defense of former Minister of Federal Planning Julio De Vido, for whom the prosecution requested a sentence of ten years in prison.
The lawyers Maximiliano Rusconi and Gabriel Palmeiro, who represent the former official, will present before the Federal Oral Court 2 from 9:30 a.m. virtually through the Zoom platform, and it is expected that the allegation will last at least for the days of Monday and Tuesday , explained judicial sources.
De Vido has a request for a sentence of ten years in prison by prosecutors Diego Luciani and Sergio Mola as the alleged perpetrator of the crime of “aggravated illicit association”, for his quality as organizer and for aggravated fraudulent administration having been committed to the detriment of public administration.
The same sentence was requested for the also accused former Secretary of Public Works José López and the former head of the National Road Directorate Nelson Periotti.
For Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, sixth in the scheduled list of defense allegations, the prosecution requested 12 years in prison, as for businessman Lázaro Báez.
De Vido’s defense has a maximum of three days to present its argument in the debate that takes place on Monday, Tuesday and Friday.
The arguments of the defenses began last week, after the attempted murder of the Vice President in the vicinity of her house, committed on Thursday, September 1, and for which two have been detained so far.
The attack occurred in the middle of one of the demonstrations of support for the former president that took place until that day in the vicinity of her house in the Recoleta neighborhood since she was accused in this trial by prosecutors as an alleged organizer of aggravated illicit association and fraudulent fraud. .
The defense claims
The three defenders who exhibited so farbefore judges Jorge Gorini, Rodrigo Giménez Uriburu and Andrés Basso demanded the acquittal of their clientsall former officials who worked in Santa Cruz during the period investigated, which runs from 2003 to 2015.
So far the only ones who made use of the right to go in person to Comodoro Py 2002 to speak to the judges in the courtrooms were the former president of the General Administration of Roads of that province Héctor Garro and his lawyer Mariano Fragueiro Frías.
Those who followed him in the arguments, the defense attorneys of Mauricio Collareda and Mario Daruich, both former Highway Administration officials, spoke virtually.
The alleged maneuvers to benefit the businessman and also accused Lázaro Báez with awards of national public works and other irregularities through the firm “Austral Construcciones”, among others that he acquired in that period, are discussed in the trial.
Like the other defendants, both the Vice President and her lawyers Carlos Beraldi and Ary Llernovoy could make use of the right to request to go in person to the courtroom of Commodore Py.
At this stage of the pleadings, the former president also has the possibility of addressing the Court directly if she wishes.
In August, the Court rejected a defense request for the Vice President to expand her preliminary statement.
On Tuesday the 6th, it will be the turn of the ex-official of Santa Cruz Roads to make his statement. and responsible for the so-called “23rd district” in that province, Mauricio Collareda, whom the prosecution asked for 6 years in prison.
When asking for sentences, Luciani and Mola also demanded that Báez be sentenced to 12 years in prison and De Vido, José López and the former head of National Highway Administration Nelson Periotti, among others, ten years.
