A day after a Kirchnerite senator accused Bonadío of embezzlement and money laundering, Justice Secretary Julián Álvarez yesterday filed a new complaint against the judge who last week ordered a raid in an investigation involving president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Almost at the same time, Bonadío ordered another raid on the AFIP tax bureau to gather the sworn statements of the president, her two children and Kirchnerite businessman Lázaro Báez — a move clearly designed to show he was not backing down from his probe.
It was noon when Álvarez told the rest of the members of the Magistrates Council that he wanted to inform them that he had filed a complaint against Bonadío for malfeasance and for using his influence to extort the body in charge of the selection and removal of judges.
It was not a surprise, as it was already widely known that Álvarez had been preparing the draft since Saturday when he received a phone call from the Pink House ordering him to move forward against Bonadío.
It was Álvarez who revealed that Bonadío was raiding the AFIP tax bureau headquarters.
According to Infobae — a news website which usually releases information from the judges who work at the courthouse located in the City neighbourhood of Retiro — a Metropolitan police squad arrived at AFIP to request the sworn statements filed by the president and her two children, Máximo and Florencia Kirchner. The judge also ordered to seize the sworn statement filed by Báez, which according to sources consulted by Infobae can be seen as a sign that Bonadío wants to examine the links between the president and the owner of Austral Construcciones.
Last year, the conservative daily La Nación revealed that Báez frequently rented rooms in the hotel. Bonadío could be following that line of investigation in the next few weeks if the dispute between the judge appointed in the mid 1990s and the national government continues increasing.
Bonadío: A new complaint
After two hours of heated debate, the members of the Magistrates Council took their seats to appoint the heads of the group’s committees. Kirchnerite lawmakers Eduardo “Wado” de Pedro and Héctor Recalde entered the room walking quickly.
At the end of the meeting, Álvarez said that he wanted to inform the other members of the Council that he had filed a complaint against Bonadío for malfeasance, requesting to impeach the judge who currently faces nine charges before the body and that, according to the Justice secretary, had already been the subject of 68 complaints.
Justice Minister Julio Alak’s number two accused Bonadío of extortion, by saying that every time the Council is determined to move forward with an investigation against him, the judge makes a move to affect the government’s interests.
According to Álvarez’s filing, Bonadío summoned former Cabinet chief Juan Manuel Abal Medina and presidential spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro in February when Álvarez and De Pedro were sworn-in as the new members of the Council. Bonadío was then removed from the case by the Federal Criminal Appeals Court.
In March, Álvarez reignited a complaint accusing Bonadío of not moving forward with probes involving officials from the Carlos Menem era. The same day that the case started moving forward, Bonadío sent former Domestic Trade secretary Guillermo Moreno to trial. On August 7, the Council decided to summon Bonadío and a day later, the judge made a more controversial decision: to indict Vice-President Amado Boudou for the falsification of his Honda car registration documents.
According to Álvarez, the final straw came on November 20, when the Council was discussing its new authorities and simultaneously Bonadío ordered a raid at the headquarters of Hotesur SA, the company that runs Alto Calafate, a hotel that is partly owned by the president.
“He is extorting us. He is extorting the whole Council,” Álvarez said loudly. Radical party (UCR) lawmaker Gustavo Valdés, another councillor, begged to differ: “I don’t feel extorted.”
“Well, give Bonadío some time,” Recalde answered ironically.
Judge Luis María Cabral, the head of the conservative Magistrates Association and also a key ally of Supreme Court Chief Justice Ricardo Lorenzetti, stood up to express his anger.
“Álvarez’s complaint seems to be groundless. We’ll have to analyze it,” Cabral told journalists.
Other flanks
Federal Judge Julián Ercolini will have to analyze the complaint filed by ruling Victory Front (FpV) Senator Marcelo Fuentes, accusing Bonadío of embezzlement and money laundering after the president revealed that the judge was part of Mansue SA, a company that runs a petrol station in Villa Ballester, San Martín, Greater Buenos Aires.
Ercolini is a judge who was appointed by the Kirchnerite administration but has also been harshly criticized by government officials who are frustrated by the lack of progress in a case involving the Papel Prensa newsprint manufacturer. The case accuses Clarín and La Nación’s representatives of committing crimes against humanity during the last dictatorship in order to take over the firm.
Kirchnerite sources confirmed to the Herald that they were willing to make a tantalizing offer to opposition councillors, Valdés and senator Ángel Rozas: impeach both Bonadío and Norberto Oyarbide, a judge also appointed during Menem-era but with close ties to Kirchnerism. Sources from the UCR yesterday dismissed negotiations were taking place.
buenosairesherald.com