Buenos Aires, December 2, 2025 – Total News Agency (TNA) – A complaint filed with the Administrative Investigations Prosecutor's Office (PIA) uncovered a scheme of alleged fraud in public tenders, corporate collusion, and aggravated dereliction of duty in the Ministry of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This is linked to the sale of the building of the Joint Cyber Defense Command (CCCD) and the subsequent contracting process to relocate the critical infrastructure for the nation's digital defense.
The tender in question, Licitation 72-0001-CPU25, file EX-2025-92632130-APN-DGAYF#EMCO, was for the "Cyber Defense Capability Enhancement Project." According to the complaint, this is not a simple administrative irregularity but a deliberate manipulation scheme designed to ensure the awarding of the contract to pre-selected companies. Most seriously, the alleged steering of the process would have put national security at risk, affecting the operational continuity of the country's digital shield.
The situation involves two companies appearing as alleged beneficiaries and potential participants in drafting the tender specifications. These are "Servicios Críticos Tesla S.R.L.", based in Rosario, and "EMIXER S.A.", based in the City of Buenos Aires (CABA). Both are classified as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The complaint alleges that the alleged fraud was carried out in two stages:
a) Irregular sale of the CCCD property in Puerto Madero The State Asset Administration Agency (AABE) sold the headquarters—a critical piece of infrastructure—for USD 34 million to the "Madero 6 Real Estate Trust." The contract required the building to be vacated within 12 months, even though the construction and adaptation of a new cyber defense center requires a minimum of 24 months. In other words, the State created an impossible-to-meet deadline crisis.
b) Use of the created urgency to manipulate the tender According to the complaint, the lack of strategic planning was not accidental: it allowed for the justification of accelerated, opaque processes with regulatory restrictions, aimed at favoring pre-selected companies.
The tender's specifications incorporated a series of mechanisms that, according to forensic analysis, nullified any possibility of real competition. Resolution RESOL-2025-447-APN-MD declared "Secret Military" Annexes 1 to 7 of the technical specifications. This mechanism, which should protect critical infrastructure, was—according to the complaint—used as a cover for a tender tailor-made for two companies.
The tender prohibited technical inquiries on COMPR.AR and required them to be submitted in a sealed envelope, picked up in person at the CCCD. This eliminated traceability and transparency.
The Fourth clause restricted access to the file at the decisive moment: the technical and economic evaluation stage. This allowed, according to the complaint, the steering of the award without external control.
The strongest evidence came from the bids themselves: In EMIXER's presentation, it explicitly stated "according to the bid presented in a secret envelope."
The allegedly favored companies were:
SERVICIOS CRÍTICOS TESLA S.R.L. It was the only bidder in Item 1, which represents 90% of the total project cost. Its offers ranged from USD 13,246,800 to USD 15,960,000. With no competition, the company could set prices without market references.
EMIXER S.A. Submitted bids showing prior knowledge of classified documentation. It also proposed "advance payment" schemes, compatible with a "front-loading" scheme typical in fraud with price markups.
The economic and strategic damage to the nation:
Economic Damage The lack of competition allowed, according to the complaint, for a multi-million dollar markup. The exclusivity of Tesla in the main item reveals explicit steering.
Damage to National Security The poor planning of the relocation could: - Expose critical infrastructure - Interrupt digital protection services - Weaken the state's ability to prevent cyberattacks - Compromise classified information declared "Secret Military"
This would be, according to the complainants, a case of corruption that compromises national defense at its most sensitive level.
Functional Responsibilities: a chain of aggravated omissions The complaint points to high-ranking officials whose actions (or omissions) would have been essential for the scheme to succeed within the Ministry of Defense under Minister Luis Petri's management.
The complaint requests an immediate investigation for alleged serious negligence, omission of duties, and fraud against the Public Administration. It also requests the demand of corporate documentation from EMIXER S.A. and Servicios Críticos Tesla S.R.L. to determine links between bidders, collusion, and possible overpricing.
The complaint on the cyber defense case exposes a highly sophisticated alleged fraud structured on: - Strategic state disinvestment - Induced poor planning - Abuse of military secrecy - Illegal barriers to competition - Corporate collusion - A chain of functional omissions - And a potential multimillion-dollar economic loss.
But what is most serious is not the money: it is the direct risk to the country's digital sovereignty. The PIA already has a complaint in its hands that—if verified—could become one of the most serious corruption scandals in defense since the return of democracy.
