A federal court in Argentina has dismissed a complaint about alleged irregularities in the handling of public funds in municipalities in Tucumán province, concluding that no crime was committed. This ruling strengthens the position of the provincial Interior Minister, Dario Monteros, who played a central role in the case.
The investigation was initiated by the Prosecutor's Office for Economic Crime and Money Laundering (PROCELAC), based on reports of suspicious operations sent to the Financial Information Unit (UIF), which warned of unusual financial movements in various municipalities.
However, Federal Prosecutor Rafael Vehils Ruiz determined that the facts analyzed did not constitute a criminal offense, while the presiding judge, Guillermo Díaz Martínez, ordered the case to be closed due to a lack of initiative from the Public Prosecutor's Office.
During the period under analysis, Monteros served as the mayor of Banda del Río Salí, one of the municipalities included in the complaint. Nevertheless, the closure of the case at the federal level adds significant weight to the dismissal of the crime hypothesis.
In this context, sources close to the process indicated that the judicial decision reinforces the legitimacy of the administrative practices adopted and consolidates institutional support for local administrations, with Monteros being one of the main political figures affected by the ruling.
From the beginning of the case, he maintained that the observed withdrawals were for paying salaries to non-banked personnel, an explanation that was ultimately validated by the Justice system by dismissing the existence of criminal maneuvers, according to the Argentine News Agency.
The judicial ruling validates the position held by Monteros throughout the process by confirming that no criminal irregularities were proven in the financial operations of the municipality under his management.
The case also included other Tucumán municipalities and was framed within a broader analysis of fund movements during the 2023 electoral year.