Buenos Aires, December 24 (NA) – The judicial situation of Nicolás Payarola has significantly worsened following the release of new details from the ruling that confirmed his pretrial detention. According to information from the Argentine News Agency (Agencia Noticias Argentinas), provided by journalist Mauro Zeta, the judge fully upheld the prosecutor's request and confirmed 11 instances of fraud, leaving the door open for new charges. According to the central excerpt of the ruling, the magistrate stated that the investigation is not closed and work will continue to determine if there are more criminal schemes, which could lead to new cases against the former media lawyer. Without a private lawyer and with official defense Another key point is that lawyer Locatelli decided to abandon Payarola's defense. It was reported that the lawyer "stepped back" and stopped representing him, which forced the defense to be handed over to a state-appointed public defender. The cell phone under judicial scrutiny One of the most sensitive aspects of the ruling concerns the contents of Payarola's cell phone, as the judge ordered a specific measure to analyze messages, contacts, and conversations to reconstruct possible fraud circuits, but also to investigate a supposed media image-building campaign. According to Zeta, the file includes a section that analyzes Payarola's attempts to improve his public profile, including contacts with journalists. The justice system is trying to determine if there was a strategy to "speak well" of the accused in the media, which is not the main crime, but helps to understand the general mechanism with which he operated. In parallel, it was confirmed that there are more victims, including a football world champion with the Argentine national team, who decided not to expose himself publicly. Although he will not file a formal complaint to avoid his identity being leaked, it has been reported that he will collaborate indirectly by providing information that could further incriminate Payarola. Additionally, the judge ordered Payarola to leave the police station where he was being held and be transferred to a unit of the Buenos Aires Provincial Prison Service within a period of no more than 72 hours, as she does not want him to remain in a police facility and demands his admission to a common jail. Meanwhile, unless administrative times are affected by the holidays, Payarola should be in a Buenos Aires prison no later than Monday, opening the possibility that he will spend Christmas and New Year in custody. With 11 frauds already accredited, more cases under evaluation, a weakened defense, and key evidence under analysis, the judicial panorama of Nicolás Payarola becomes increasingly dark with no immediate margin for a favorable outcome.
