A judicial investigation has put the fine photo system in the province of Buenos Aires under scrutiny, pointing to businessmen, officials, and an academic link for a supposed scheme of bribes, money laundering, and diversion of public funds. Federal prosecutor Guillermo Marijuan targeted Leandro Camani, head of Secutrans S.A. and Tránsito Seguro S.A., and Diego Kampel, Secretary of Extension and Linkages of the National University of San Martín (UNSAM), whom he identified as an institutional facilitator of contracts. According to the presentation, the mechanism allowed avoiding public tenders through agreements between municipalities and UNSAM, which led to a triangulation of funds through a foundation linked to that educational institution, which then directly hired private companies. In this circuit, up to 70% of the fines collected remained in the hands of intermediaries, while the municipalities received a smaller share, as stated in the file accessed by the Argentine News Agency. The complaint also mentions the alleged collusion of officials from the National Transport Secretariat, the National Road Safety Agency, and the current Buenos Aires minister Martín Marinucci, regarding the authorization of radars in exchange for illegal payments. Likewise, the use of fictitious invoicing and ghost companies was described to generate cash destined for bribes to officials in charge of authorizing road control systems. The case is framed in the context of other investigations into the fine business, including the case in which the former Buenos Aires Transport Minister Jorge D’Onofri is investigated for alleged money laundering. According to the file, at least a dozen municipalities participated in the questioned agreements, including La Matanza, Mar del Plata, San Isidro, Morón, and Zárate, with collections in one case exceeding 370 million pesos in less than a year. The case is in the hands of Federal Judge María Servini, who must define measures of proof such as raids and the lifting of bank secrecy to follow the money trail in a scheme that once again puts the spotlight on the multimillion-dollar business of photo fines.
