The Chamber released two of the heads of Customs suspected of being part of a gang dedicated to falsifying documentation to unblock containers held in the port of Buenos Aires.
The Economic Criminal Chamber confirmed the prosecution and arrest of businessman Oldemar Carlos «Cuqui» Barreiro Laborda, among others accused of being part of the so-called «container mafia».
However, the Chamber released two of the Customs chiefs suspected of having participated in that band and revoked the preventive detention of Osvaldo Alberto Giacumbo, the head of Customs in the local port who was a fugitive for several days and Edgardo Rodolfo Paolucci, ex Director of Customs in the city of Buenos Aires, as confirmed by judicial sources. Both will continue processed but in freedom.
The resolution was issued in the case known as the mafia of the containers in which Claudio «Mono» Minnicelli, brother-in-law of the national deputy and former Minister of Planning and Infrastructure, Julio De Vido, is a fugitive.
The organization was accused of falsifying documentation to unblock containers held in the port of Buenos Aires and transfer them to a tax warehouse in Lanús.
The judges confirmed the prosecutions of Barreira Laborda, Rodolfo Paolucci, Rodolfo Enrique Trebino, Mauro Daniel Delmastro, Néstor Frega, Osvaldo Giacumbo, Vanesa Calamante, Martín Aníbal Corral, Santiago Jiménez, Rodolfo Trebino and Federico Tiscornia.
The arrests were ordered on October 24 when the court considered that the accused had organized a gang to release containers that were prosecuted, taking advantage of «the corrupt weakness of those who should guard the interest and public resources.»
In mid-November Judge Marcelo Aguinsky prosecuted for illicit association and smuggling nine defendants, and seized attachments of more than 22 million pesos each.
Now, the Chamber confirmed that resolution, although it revoked the preventives of Giacumbo and Paolucci, which will be prosecuted even though they have been released.
