The Federal Oral Tribunal of Santiago del Estero convicted Emilio Rached, former mayor of Pinto and ex vice-governor, to three years of suspended prison for misappropriation of public funds, embezzlement, and abuse of authority. He was also perpetually disqualified from public office and ordered to forfeit related assets. Former municipal secretary Ana María Vera received two years and six months of suspended prison.
Emilio Rached, who was vice-governor of Gerardo Zamora in 2005 and national senator for Santiago del Estero in 2007, was convicted for actions during his tenure as mayor of Pinto, a city 210 kilometers south of the provincial capital. The Federal Oral Tribunal of Santiago del Estero found him guilty of misappropriation of public funds, embezzlement, and abuse of authority, sentencing him to three years of suspended prison, perpetual disqualification from holding public office, and requiring repayment to the State of an amount updated with the Banco Nación passive rate from October 30, 2018.
The funds in question came from the Urban Infrastructure Secretariat of the Ministry of Interior, Public Works and Housing, sent in 2018 totaling $44,325,199.60 out of a $80,000,000 budget for improvements in basic infrastructure and community strengthening in the España, San Martín, El Tigre, and Libertad neighborhoods of Pinto. Additionally, a sports complex and a sewage system for the city were planned. However, the destination of $4,511,881.40 of these funds remains unknown, and the sewage system execution did not exceed 30%.
Former municipal secretary Ana María Vera was sentenced to two years and six months of suspended prison for her involvement. Rached gained notoriety in 2008 by voting against Resolution 125 promoted by Cristina Kirchner's government, contributing to the rift in the officialdom alongside Julio Cobos's vote. Later, he became an opponent of Zamora, his former ally, and militated in radicalism and Juntos por el Cambio without electoral success.
