The second accused in the case, Leonardo Espíndola, took his own life two days before the ruling was announced. The Association of Mothers of Plaza de Mayo (AMMP) ultimately found in justice the reparation and relief that had been denied to them at the School. "This is not for everyone, just for those with true vocation," reads the entrance hall of the Cadet Corps building of the institute. The AMMP cadet honored the motto.
"I do not have the intention or the forecast of reinstating her," they say the then director of the Military Aviation School, Colonel Marcelo Monetto (now Brigadier), said regarding the request made by the AMMP cadet in 2022. The cadet had been a victim of sexual violence on May 19, 2019, by two fourth-year colleagues from the same school that trains pilots for the Air Force. After informing her superiors about the aggression, AMMP endured another ordeal of violence: the institutional violence perpetrated by five officers from the institute who exerted various forms of pressure, detailed in the processing ruling issued by federal judge Alejandro Sánchez Freytes, to break her spirit and force her out.
The accused are: Commodore Cristina Malpartida (physician), Captain Julieta del Valle Romero (physician), and Licentiate Andrea Berra (teacher at the School of Non-Commissioned Officers of the Argentine Air Force and psychologist at the Military Aviation School). Commodore Luis Carranza Torres, lawyer in charge of the Legal Department of the Military Aviation School, and First Lieutenant Gerardo Moreno, belonging to the Instruction Squadron of the Military Aviation School, were also processed. The magistrate found them criminally responsible for abuse of authority against the AMMP cadet.
"Malpartida, Romero, Berra, and Carranza Torres would have carried out repeated and persistent abusive acts aimed at obstructing and preventing the victim from accessing integral treatment services, medical exams, timely medication supply, and safeguarding items and belongings indicated for such situations," the judge stated in his ruling. In 2024, the 2nd Chamber of Crime of Córdoba sentenced the rapists, former cadet Julio Mauricio Méndez, to three years in prison for aggravated sexual abuse due to the involvement of more than two people.
In the case of the AMMP cadet, the courts ordered her immediate reinstatement through a precautionary measure before the federal court of Miguel Vaca Narvaja. However, this order was not complied with in a timely manner, raising questions about the actions of military authorities. Ultimately, AMMP was discharged because, according to the Institute, she did not meet the physical aptitude after having taken tests corresponding to two years in a single day.
The situation has raised questions about promotions within the Air Force, especially regarding Brigadier Monetto, the current deputy head of the Air Force. The Unicameral Commission of Agreements of the Senate holds the power to grant or not grant approval of Monetto's promotion package. On the other hand, another high command, Brigadier Hugo Dirie, General Inspector, also has his promotion package under consideration by the Senate.
The Air Force is embroiled in turbulence due to scandals involving its high command. Photos of volunteer soldier Camila Baigorria in compromising situations taken in Brigadier Dirie's private office circulated. Monetto and Dirie, despite the issues they faced in their respective files, were selected to be part of the senior leadership of the Air Force.
