Heavy sentences for six gendarmes who collected bribes from companies organizing shopping tours

Six gendarmes were sentenced to between 8 and 12 years in prison by the Federal Oral Tribunal 1 of Salta, which found them guilty of being part of an organization that collected bribes from businesses that transported traders for shopping visits, according to judicial sources informed today.

Spokespersons for the Salta Public Prosecutor’s Office indicated that the main sentence fell on the officer of the national gendarmerie of Squad 45, Ricardo Antonio Gil, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison for having been the author of the offense of “unlawful association, as a boss and organizer, in real competition with a concussion”.

In addition to the prison sentence, the judge ordered Gil to receive a perpetual ban from performing their duties in force and that he pay a fine of 777,082 pesos, as requested in his arguments by Attorney General Carlos Amad. Meanwhile, judges Marcelo Juárez Almaraz, Federico Díaz and Marta Liliana Snopek sentenced gendarmes Federico Andrés Báez to 10 years in prison, also for the crime of “unlawful association but as a member, in real competition with concussion “. María Cristina Luján and Guillermo Damián Tillería, while Sofía Yanina Suárez was sentenced to 8 years for the same crimes.

On the other hand, and also at the request of the prosecution, the judges sentenced the subalferez Roque Gonzalo Luján to eight months suspended prison sentence and two years of recusal to exercise the functions of public official, after having been considered as the perpetrator of the crime of breach of secrecy, in degree of attempt. Like Gil, and with the exception of Suárez, the other convicted gendarmes have been definitively excluded from the exercise of public functions and must face the same amount of fine. A seventh member of this force, identified as Roberto Juan Bautista, was acquitted with the benefit of the doubt.

The prosecutor pointed out that members of this organization used to intercept vehicles or groups of different shopping trips, and depending on the load they were carrying, they established the amount in money or other gift.

In another stage of the verdict, The judges have decided to sentence Gisel Paola Gil, sister of the main convict, to two years in prison for the crime of concealment, as the perpetrator.. The same pain fell on Leonardo Torres, Luján’s partner; Emanuel Fernando Cruz, corporal of the Prison Service of the province; and Adela Fleita, mother of the Gil brothers. Amad said Gisel Gil and his mother were aware of the maneuvers deployed by the convicted officer, and said Fleita even managed and coordinated the money his son sent him.

Regarding Cruz and Torres, respectively couples from Suárez and Luján, the prosecution maintained that they were not only aware of the unlawful acts, but that they also encouraged the continuation of the criminal activities carried out by the organization. . Finally, and In addition to imposing rules of conduct on defendants sentenced to suspended execution sentences, the court, at the request of the prosecution, ordered the confiscation ten cell phones, a computer, a bicycle, two portable air conditioners, a dryer, two game consoles, a microwave oven, a 55 inch LED TV, a 21.5 inch LED monitor, a printer, a refrigerator , a 250cc motorcycle and a Renault Megane car. To this is added the sum of 388,541 pesos, money which, like the aforementioned assets, was seized in raids carried out throughout the investigation into the case, led by Attorney General Eduardo Villalba, of the Salta fiscal unit.

The case was opened on January 27, 2017 by the Federal Prosecutor 2 and was tried on July 15 of last year, three months after the start of the pandemic, which generated various setbacks which were corrected by the application of health protocols.

THE NATION

More information