In the province of Corrientes, former governor and current provincial senator for the UCR, Gustavo Valdés, spoke exclusively with the Noticias Argentinas agency about the disappearance of Loan during his tenure. In an uncomfortable and ironic situation, Valdés stated that he has no connection to the "actors of the case". After a deafening silence and a 20-minute session in the Senate, Valdés agreed to discuss the case. He emphasized that they "never intervened beyond requesting to be a complainant," a request that was rejected by the National Judiciary as it could hinder the investigation due to "suspicions of cover-up by local officials." Among the main defendants are Laudelina Peña, former commissioner Walter Maciel, Victoria Caillava, Carlos Pérez, Mónica Millapi, Antonio Benítez, and Daniel Ramírez. All of them, except Maciel, had lunch together on June 13, 2024, at the grandmother Catalina's house, the day the boy disappeared. Ten other individuals, including Federico Rossi Colombo, Nicolás Soria, Elizabeth Cutaia, and Alan Cañete, are accused of illegal deprivation of liberty, fraud against the public administration, concealment, false testimony, and other crimes. During a preliminary hearing, the court announced the trial would begin on October 7, but the prosecution, the complainant's side, and part of the defense rejected the date, and now the judges have agreed to review the schedule. María Noguera, José Peña, and his son, also named José, expressed the need for the trial to take place as soon as possible, as that is where the accused, in their view, "will speak." Despite political maneuvers aimed at silencing Corrientes, including lawsuits and counter-complaints, the trial is scheduled for April. The province has also failed to implement key laws, such as Law No. 6020 on a registry of missing minors and Protocol No. 5862 for police action in such cases. The overall picture is clear: to this day, it has not been established what happened to Loan or why the accused abducted and concealed him. There are 17 defendants in the case, and the trial must begin as soon as possible to provide answers.
