Anti-Corruption Official Involved in Andis Scandal

The corruption scandal at the National Disability Agency (Andis) has taken an explosive turn: an official from the Office of the Comptroller General (OA), the very body responsible for receiving and processing complaints about state irregularities, appears as the defense attorney for one of the main defendants in the case and came to his aid during a judicial raid. This is Ernesto Camilo Cordero Fabbri, Coordinator of Admission and Referral of Complaints at the OA, who holds the rank of director. According to the OA's official organizational chart, Cordero Fabbri receives, registers, and forwards all complaints that enter the body—a key task for the state's internal control system. The situation came to light after a note was found stuck in the kitchen of the house where Miguel Calvete operated—the businessman considered by the prosecutor to be the leader or organizer of a criminal scheme within Andis. The note established an emergency protocol in case of raids, with precise instructions: request the judicial order, photograph it, and immediately call two trusted lawyers. The first of these was Cordero Fabbri himself, identified by name, surname, and phone number. According to sources in the investigation, the person who opened the door followed the protocol to the letter: Cordero Fabbri appeared during the procedure, asked what was happening, and then left. Although he has a valid law license, he did not register as a defense attorney in this case, as—according to former OA officials—employees of the body cannot be involved in corruption-related cases. However, the official did defend Calvete in the case for which the businessman was convicted and imprisoned in Ezeiza for exploiting 'the prostitution of others.' He has worked there since 2016 and was appointed coordinator in 2020 by a resolution signed by Santiago Cafiero and Marcela Losardo, then Chief of Staff and Minister of Justice, respectively. That appointment was temporary for 180 days, although the official has remained in the position to this day without public explanations from the OA or the Ministry of Justice. The controversy grew when Deputy Rodolfo Tailhade posted on social networks that the official owned 18 declared weapons in his assets, including pistols, shotguns, and carbines. In addition to the charges against Miguel Calvete, his daughter Ornella—who held a position in the Ministry of Economy—resigned last week, as did her husband, Javier Cardini, an official in Luis Caputo's ministry. Both resignations occurred after the Justice Department raided the family's properties and found nearly $700,000 in cash in Ornella's house, according to the details of Prosecutor Picardi's report. The dialogues revealed in the case show that during the operation, Ornella asked her father if the 'firm has white cash,' and evaluated what to say in case the police found money in her apartment. Spokespeople for the OA and the Ministry of Justice—headed by Mariano Cúneo Libarona—were consulted but avoided responding. However, in the Andis case, he is mentioned in the so-called 'Circle 'Tuco' list,' a list of contacts found in a notebook seized from Calvete and attached by Prosecutor Franco Picardi, which includes associates, partners, officials, and operators of the investigated network.