The Techo Digno mega-case brought together five defendants for the irregular management of national funds from a housing plan in Sierra Grande.
In 2021, the tax investigation had already led to accusations for the former Peronist mayor Renzo Tamburrini, signatory of the agreement with Nación in 2014, and also for the owner of the company Construcciones Normalizados, Guillermo Gazia.
Lately, the fiscal strategy in the provincial investigation expands on responsibilities and defendants are incorporated.
In this case, prosecutors Juan Pedro Peralta and Estela Pasarelli reformulated the charges and expanded the accusations to two former officials of the Peronist government, Mauro Tamburrini and Ernesto Noel, and also to the former radical mayor Nelson Iribarren, with two former secretaries of his administration, Miguel Mesa and Claudia Albariño.
Thus, the Sierra Grande file contains seven defendants ylThe megacausa now exceeds 35 with former community leaders and builders of housing plans of Dignified Roof in Choele Choel, Godoy, Río Colorado, Conesa, Bariloche, Cervantes, San Antonio, Fernández Oro, Cipolletti and Cinco Saltos.
The new hearing was held in Viedma, led by Judge Juan Brussino. The seven investigated participated, with their lawyers. Former mayor Tamburrini, sponsored by Daniel Mayor; his successor Iribarren, with Mariano Gestoso; Mauro Tamburrini, with official defenders Pedro Vega and María Paz Alvarez; the businessman Gazia, with Santiago Guenumil; Noel and Albariño, with lawyers Juan Carlos Chirinos and Miguel Curci.
The prosecutor Peralta described the event in two stages. The first focused on the former mayor Tamburrini and the builder Gazia, with the participation of those who were officials in his mountain government.
The methodology of the Techo Digno case is always the same: falsified certifications with a higher level of execution and payments to private parties above what was built, with National funds for those federal plans.
The Sierra Grande neighborhood included 40 units and the central administration transferred almost 16.7 million, that is, 92% of what was agreed. The payment – Peralta described – in the management of Tamburrini to the builder reached 12.8 million, based on certifications signed by Mauro Tamburrini and Noel that “falsely” recorded executions of 71%. An IPPV survey – added the prosecutor – would indicate a level of work of 34% and, even with cost redetermination calculations, The extra payment was 20%.
The second stage was framed in the management of Iribarren, with Mesa and Albariño. The fact pointed out by Peralta was in transfers to the company for work not performed, such as soil movement.
The crime stated was «fraud due to fraudulent administration to the detriment of the public administration and use of a false document»with different criminal responsibilities.
Mayor, in defense of Tamburrini, requested the rejection of the accusation and considered the cause as “ridiculous” because, among other reasons stated, “they were national funds that should not be refunded” and, consequently, “there was no harm” for the municipality.
Gestoso, representing Iribarren, questioned the prosecutor’s conclusion that “there was no movement of the ground” and carried out a comprehensive analysis while Güenumil defended Gazia, alluding that he did not participate in what was reported and did not sign questioned procedures.
In the end, Brusino rejected the opposition request by insisting that it was a judicial stage of investigation, setting a period of four months for its conclusion.
