Bravado and the criminal organization | Prosecutor Luis Schiappa Pietra analyzes state plot behind Los Monos

Prosecutor Luis Schiappa Pietra – head of the Organized Crime Agency – warned yesterday against the temptation to demonize characters like Guille Cantero (for his comments on hiring hired killers to eliminate judges) and not to not understand them in the context of complex organized crime. And he recalled that there are state components that authorize these illegal activities, and that in the investigation of one of these causes, for a murder at the Casino, prosecutors, police officers and even a senator linked to the capitalists of the game appeared. This is why he admitted “not understanding” why part of the provincial Senate endorsed Armando Traferri’s position on his refusal to appear on Monday for the indictment.

What do you think of Cantero’s conviction at trial?

– Obviously he has a provocative tone that requires great attention and is clearly disturbing, but beyond that there is a very strong temptation to demonize these characters in the media. What you need to do is put in context why Guille Cantero is Guille Cantero. I mean, Guille Cantero is now part of Rosario of complex organized crime and it can work because there are a lot of state components from different orbits that allow these organizations to function and thrive because if there is some thing that cannot be discussed here is the absence of punishment. Here, we cannot speak of impunity, because precisely in Cantero the criminal law has been applied and continues to be applied. In fact, we just indicted him in another case like the murder of Mr. Encino in the casino.

– How was that cause?

“ It’s part of organized crime. Let us remember that this is an investigation that marks the beginning of a whole network of relations and investigations, which then led to the cause of corruption which allowed the accusations of two prosecutors, the regional prosecutor Patricio Serjal and another senior prosecutor, who has involved in different parts of the province to the police, which has been mentioned and on Monday there will be a hearing in which a senator will be indicted. I mean, it’s organized crime, and Cantero is part of that network. So I think we have to try not to quickly view him as a demonized character, but to clearly place complex organized crime in that context like the one we’re investigating.

–Let’s remember how this casino cause started.

– The investigation into the murder of the casino begins when two people who were going to attack the city center are arrested. The one who organized this was “Cachete” Díaz, who contacted Leo Peiti so that from the contacts he had, he could get someone to release them. It must be remembered that Peiti had given certain characters of this organization the possibility of running illegal gambling halls, in order to pay them for the arrangement they had made. It was a confusing relationship, as this capitalist was the victim of extortion and also a participant in this affair. When we see the phone number of Cachete Díaz, we see that there are leaks from the prosecution, and when we move forward in this investigation, we trigger the indictment of two prosecutors, the regional prosecutor Serjal and the prosecutor Gustavo Ponce Asahad . And we also see the whole network, more tied to Senator Traferri, all the relationships and connections that Traferri himself has with Leonardo Peiti.

“What’s the point then?”

That is exactly the point: what we are saying here is that when we talk about complex organized crime, for different reasons, act or omission, there is an essential state component for these organizations to function. In this case of illegal gambling, which moves millions of pesos, it happens because there are different actors who, in one way or another, make it possible. That’s what we see with these causes, that’s why I’m saying you have to try to look at the business behind a lot of all this emerging violence, that’s what explains it. Otherwise, we won’t understand why there are these characters who speak outrageously in the public arena.

– On Monday, there will be an imputative hearing of Senator Traferri, who took part in the Senate session on Thursday to denounce complaints and political persecutions, in particular from prosecutors and journalists, and obtained the support of his peers not to s to be presented on Monday for the imputative. What reflection does he deserve?

“ I couldn’t see the exhibit in the Senate. I understand that there are senators who support Traferri’s position. What I have to say is that if we are going to talk seriously about an engagement against the problems of insecurity that we have in the city, and if we really assume that we need to move forward with the investigation of the crime Organized complex in all its components, the truth is that resolutions like the one we are discussing do not seem to go in this direction. We hope, there is always this hope, that officials of such responsibility comply with court orders and appear in court. The truth is that having to discuss in the environment of a Senate chamber the evidence of a case only shows a photograph of many of the things we have said: how come At this stage of the rule of law we must explain that a charge must be brought, formulated and defended in the courts. So let’s see what happens, but I find it very paradigmatic that we talk so much about the problems of insecurity and on the other hand, when there is an accusation of this nature, the position of many senior officials like those we are mentioning is to advise you that he is not appearing, and to reject the decision of a judge of the chamber who understands that it should be possible to impute a senator. It is a reading that should be done not only by me, who am the prosecutor, but by many other officials with much more responsibility in the management of the destinies of this province.