The recent political scandal in Neuquén has culminated in the dismissal of the vice governor Gloria Ruiz for “moral inability.” This event marks a milestone in the political history of the province, being the first time that a lieutenant governor has been removed from office for this reason.
The decision was made by the Neuquén Legislature, which approved the dismissal with more than two-thirds of the votes present, after a session that lasted almost five hours. Gloria Ruizwho had been Governor Rolando Figueroa’s running mate, was accused of a series of irregularities that included the appointment of family members to public positions, direct hiring with surcharges, irregular management of public funds and false asset declarations.
In addition, he was charged with obstruction of external control, especially of the Court of Accounts, which was only able to audit the accounts when Ruiz was suspended a month ago. One of the most controversial points of the investigation was the management of public funds.
According to reports, his brother Pablo Ruiz, who served as coordinator of the provincial Legislature, received transfers totaling 29,854,350 pesos from the Legislature. Part of this money was allocated to the constitution of fixed terms, while another 20,600,000 pesos were withdrawn in cash, which raised alarm about the destination of those funds..
The impeachment process began in late November, when Gloria Ruiz She was suspended from her position while an investigative commission was formed to analyze the accusations against her.. During the session of the Legislature, legislators presented a detailed report that exposed the irregularities detected.
Among the highlights of the report were irregular appointments and nepotism, irregular management of public funds, direct contracting with overpricing, false asset declarations and obstruction of external control.
Debate
The debate in the Legislature was intense. Claudio Domínguez, from the Neuquén Popular Movement (MPN), was one of the first to speak, highlighting the breadth of the investigative process and criticizing the attitude of Gloria Ruizwhom he accused of “victimization” and of trying to divert the focus from the events investigated.
For his part, deputy Francisco Lépore, from Avanzar, presented a report with slides that exposed the irregularities detected, describing the use of public funds for personal purposes as inadmissible. The dismissal of Gloria Ruiz has generated various reactions in the political and social sphere. While some celebrate the decision as a step towards transparency and accountability, others criticize the process, arguing that it was marred by irregularities and was political persecution.
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