Ex-judge Oyarbide claims spies pressured him to close cases against Kirchners
Scandalous day at the Comodoro Py courthouse headlined by dramatic display by Norberto Oyarbide.
Former judge Norberto Oyarbide made as many headlines as he could on Thursday, following a typically showyappearanceattheComodoro Py courthouse in Buenos Aires City.
Oyarbide has been linked to an alleged graft ring involving key businesspeople and former high-level government officials that spanned over seven years.
Speaking to the press outside the courthouse, he had delcared his innocence. “I never received any bribes,” he said.
However, later, it became clear that he was willing to provide evidence to the court in exchange for a plea deal.
In testimony made to Judge Claudio Bonadio, he claimed he was “pressured” to “close cases against the Kirchners,” referring to former presidents Néstor and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, court sources told the Perfil newspaper.
He pointed to former spy Antonio “Jaime” Stiuso and Javier Fernández, a member of the GeneralAuditor’sOffice,whom he described as a “judicial operator” for the Kirchners.
On Friday, the disgraced former judge, who is known for his extravagant lifestyle and occasional appearance on commercial television, told journalists through the intercom on his electronic doorbell of his apartment that his life was in danger.
“I’mnotleavingmyapartment for at least one month,” he said, confirming that he had been granted additional personal security.
Yesterday, judicial officials said Oyarbide’s claims had been passed to Judge Luis Rodriguez and prosecutor Carlos Rívolo for investigation.
Oyarbide resigned from the Judiciary in 2016 under heavy pressure, after facing a deluge of complaints, some criminal, that had been levelled against him. Over his judicial career, he faced more than 45 accusations of misconduct.
Last week, his name appeared in the series of photocopied notebooks obtained and published by La Nación newspaper, with detailed information regarding the “collection mechanism” of hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes that went all the way to the Executive.
The revelations sparked arrests and raids throughout Buenos Aires City and province last week, targeting both former members of the Kirchnerite administrations and businesspeople. Over 20 people have now been arrested since the operation first began.
The investigation, led by federal Judge Bonadio and federal Prosecutor Carlos Stornelli, ac- cuses Néstor Kirchner and his wife and successor as president, Fernández de Kirchner, of leading a criminal scheme to appropriate illicit funds stemming from kickbacks paid by companies looking to secure public works projects.
At the centre of the probe is Oscar Centeno, a former Army sergeant who previously worked as the chauffeur of Roberto Baratta, a sub-secretary of the federal Planning Ministry du- ring the Kirchner years.
Baratta was considered to be the ‘right hand man’ of Julio De Vido, the embattled former federal planning minister who has been accused of orchestrating a massive kickback scheme around public works projects that defrauded the state of hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars from 2003 to 2015.
On Thursday, Oyarbide denied any personal connection with De Vido.
Former Industrial Union (UIA)bossJuanCarlosLascurain was also in court on Thursday. His testimony to judge Bonadio in the same case preceded a scandalous incident outside Comodoro Py.
Surrounded by journalists and cameramen, Lascurain pulled punches and ended up wrestling on the ground with a cameraman from the C5N news channel.
“You lot have to understand that this morning my mother-inlaw died and I’m very tense,” Lascurain said later, trying to excuse his behaviour.