Justice is advancing in its investigation into alleged irregularities in personnel contracts and food management within the Secretariat of Children, Adolescents and Family, which depends on the Ministry of Human Capital. This is the process that unleashed a political storm and put the links between the State and the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) under the magnifying glass.
The investigation, headed by prosecutor Ramiro González, focuses on the relationship between the Ministry of Human Capital and the OEI. In this sense, the prosecutor asked the OEI for detailed information about the contracts signed under his protection. In addition, the Administrative Investigations Attorney’s Office (PIA), an entity with broad powers to investigate public administration, expanded the investigation by requesting data from fourteen public organizations about their links with the OEI.
Among the organizations targeted are the Chief of Staff, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, and Anses, among others. These must provide information on the number of contracts made, the agreements that made them possible, and the money flows involved. The PIA, led by prosecutor Sergio Rodríguez, seeks to clarify the nature of these contracts and their possible irregularities.
The focus of the investigation includes not only the suspicious contracts within the Ministry of Children, but also the broader contracting mechanism involving the OEI. The attorney general’s office requested the opening of administrative summaries in the Ministry of Human Capital to investigate both the contracts and the management of stored food. This is a recurring request to Sandra Pettovello’s portfolio, which to date has responded partially, so a complete response to these requests is still awaited.
One of the darkest points of the investigation is the possible existence of phantom contracts and hidden bonuses through the OEI. Officials could have received additional salaries through external contracts, which would complicate the traceability and supervision of these payments. In addition, overlapping salaries and failure to deduct temporary payments made by the IEO prior to an official appointment are also being investigated.
The investigation revealed partial numbers that suggest the magnitude of the problem, but more information is awaited to get a full picture. The OEI, under the direction of Luis Scasso in Argentina, showed willingness to collaborate with justice. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Human Capital faces pressure to clarify its role in these hirings.
