Attorneys José Lucas Magioncalda and Juan Martín Fazio filed a criminal complaint for assignment with the Federal Criminal and Correctional Chamber on Monday against the Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation, Federico Sturzenegger, and other officials for the alleged omission of publication on the website of the Anti-Corruption Office (OA), as required by Decree 202/2017, in the context of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' contract with the Argentine Association of English Culture (AACI).
According to information obtained by Agencia Noticias Argentinas, the presentation record indicates that the complaint was sent on February 16, 2026, at 13:55 to the Chamber's assignment email address, along with the attached document "DENUNCIA PUBLICACIÓN STURZENEGGER Y OTROS".
In the filing, the complainants—who requested to be identified as members of Reset Republicano, "a center-right political group committed to the fight against corruption and the construction of a moderate political alternative"—also requested an investigation into the conduct of María Josefina Rouillet, the minister's spouse and a director of the winning entity.
This complaint follows a journalistic investigation by Agencia Noticias Argentinas that revealed the award of a contract for $114,044,133 to the entity led by Rouillet and the subsequent public fallout: Foreign Minister Pablo Quirneghe denounced irregularities, stating that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has hired the AACI "since 2018" and that due to the family link, the integrity procedure was activated with the involvement of the OA and SIGEN.
The filing mentions that on January 19, 2026, the Undersecretariat for Coordination and External Administration issued Resolution 21/2026 (DI-2026-21-APN-SSCYAE#MRE), by which it awarded the Simple Specialization No. 26-0033-CDI25 to the AACI for $114,044,133, with an option for renewal, to continue the English language training service for Ministry of Foreign Affairs personnel, under the Strategic Training Plan (PEC) 2025–2027.
According to the text, the resolution itself stated that a "positive link" emerged between Rouillet and Sturzenegger from the Statement of Interest, and the procedures of Article 4 of the decree were activated: communication to the OA and SIGEN, suggestion of an Integrity Pact, and publication of proceedings on the ministry's website.
However, the complainants stated that upon consulting the "Cases reported to the OA" search engine, they verified that as of February 15, 2026, there were no registered publications regarding the receipt of the corresponding statement of interest for the case, and they argued that this alleged omission affected a "key" transparency requirement.
In the "Law" chapter, the document framed the facts as potential crimes of failure to perform duties (Art. 248 of the Criminal Code) and incompatible negotiations (Art. 265), and noted that the issue took on public dimensions because it was news in various media, such as Agencia Noticias Argentinas, which the complaint explicitly mentions.
The filing also introduced a precedent: it was stated that in 2024, another contract was in effect between "identical parties" and requested that it be verified whether an update to the statement of interest was due within the timeframe stipulated by the decree, and if that update was published on the OA's website.
