The Cuadernos case has uncovered an illegal bribery circuit in the construction of the Néstor Kirchner Cultural Center, awarded in 2008 to the joint venture ESUCO S.A. and RIVA S.A. for nearly 926 million pesos. Statements from repentant witnesses and a driver's notes detail multimillion-dollar cash payments to Kirchnerist officials. These funds were directed to higher levels of power, according to the prosecutor's investigation.
The investigation in the Cuadernos case, elevated to oral trial, focuses on an illegal fundraising scheme tied to public works during the Kirchnerist governments. The joint venture of ESUCO S.A. and RIVA S.A. won the bid for the Néstor Kirchner Cultural Center in 2008 via resolution MPFIPyS No. 1517/2008, for 925,788,107.96 pesos. According to prosecutors, contractors paid bribes to secure bids and administrative progress, with returns ranging from 10% to 20% of the works' value.
Enrique Wagner, head of ESUCO S.A., testified as a repentant witness that he made illegal payments to Roberto Baratta, an intermediary official who funneled the money to Néstor and Cristina Kirchner. These deliveries took place between 2010 and 2015, sometimes with Lazarte's intermediation, at locations like ESUCO's headquarters on San José 151 and Baratta's home on Avenida Coronel Díaz 2355. The file records five phone communications between Wagner and Baratta in 2010, supporting the coordination.
Oscar Centeno's notes, the Planning Ministry driver's, describe transports of bags with cash, including one million dollars and 500 thousand dollars, handed to Daniel Muñoz for Uruguay or the Kirchners' family home. A Centeno note from September 22, 2010, states: “Llevamos todo a Uruguay 1306 para entregar todo a Daniel Muñoz”. The project fell under former Public Works Secretary José López's oversight, and Wagner stated the system persisted until the end of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's government.