A former firefighter instructor from Córdoba province, who confessed to abusing minors inside the fire station during training exercises, is under house arrest. The plaintiff, in a conversation with the Argentine News Agency, exposed an irregular investigation and strange handling of the case by the prosecutor's office. The investigation against Rodrigo Santi began months ago when the victims reported that the instructor had abused them during training to join the fire station. José Tomás Corigliano, a lawyer for one of the victims' families, spoke about the accusations and commented that the case was following its proper course until late October, when a new lawyer joined Santi's defense, and they began having problems with the digital file. This defender is Alejandro Bianco, who worked in the team of prosecutor Juliana Companys, in charge of the investigation, and in July he registered as a lawyer, only to resign and become the accused's new lawyer: 'He instructed the case and then defended him.' Corigliano argued that 'his new lawyer managed to reduce the sentence by almost 50% and get house arrest in a short time.' He stated that, facing this 'scandal,' they decided to go to the media, and after the complaint to the Bar Association, Bianco publicly resigned. 'What is scandalous about this case is the clear incompatibility in ethical and moral terms.' Buenos Aires, January 18 (NA) - A former firefighter instructor from Córdoba province, who confessed to abusing minors inside the fire station during training exercises, is under house arrest, and the plaintiff, in a conversation with the Argentine News Agency, exposed an irregular investigation and strange handling by the prosecutor's office in charge of the case. The investigation against Rodrigo Santi began months ago when the victims reported that the instructor had abused them during training to join the fire station. 'If this had been in place from the beginning, it would have had to be written in the resolution, but it was not, they wanted to protect themselves,' he stated. Another point he raised is that Santi should have been sentenced to 12 or 14 years in prison, but unexpectedly, the prosecution and the defense reached a plea agreement for an eight-year prison sentence. 'I cannot investigate and then, when the investigation is finished and sent to trial, resign and become the defender of the accused,' she stated. 'Here there is a brutal inequality of arms because the one who defended the abuser had more information than the plaintiff representing the victims,' he affirmed. Corigliano highlighted that Santi is a 'serial abuser' and that there are more victims, but those investigations are time-barred. It is expected that January 1st will be an important day because the plaintiff will formally oppose the decision to grant house arrest: 'We hope the Control Judge will see reason and revoke the decision.' On the same day, they would present as a plaintiff a written statement in the Initial Abbreviated Incident, which has not yet been resolved by the Control Judge, 'to suggest that the minimum would be 10 years in prison.' According to NA's findings, Companys has several conflicts in her file, so last August, the Córdoba Judicial Power's Ethics Tribunal 'called her attention' through a statement. However, for some time, the plaintiff has reported serious irregularities in which the accused benefited. Currently, the former firefighter is accused of five offenses: three simple sexual abuses of minors, possession of child pornography, and one aggravated sexual abuse with carnal access in conjunction with the corruption of minors. 'We only found out five days later that he was already at home,' Corigliano stated. With this scandal, the plaintiff commented that he began to receive messages warning that Santi was on house arrest but did not have an electronic ankle bracelet, so he would go out on errands and even move around: 'It was only last week that it became known that the accused was wearing an ankle bracelet because Prosecutor Companys issued a statement. A public official cannot be on both sides of the counter. It's insane, he knew all the steps.' 'From that moment on, everything was chaos.'
