Córdoba: former mayor Díaz convicted of soliciting sex in exchange for social welfare benefits
The former mayor of El Brete was sentenced to 3 years of suspended imprisonment after confessing that he demanded sex from women in exchange for social welfare benefits
José Eugenio Díaz, former mayor of El Brete and former provincial legislator, was sentenced to a three-year suspended sentence.
He confessed to demanding sex from women in exchange for social welfare plans between 2002 and 2004. The incidents took place in his office while he held the highest administrative position in the municipality.
Exintendente de El Brete y exlegislador provincial, fue condenado a tres años condicional.
Justice, once again in debt
The verdict was handed down in a summary trial with an agreement between the prosecution and the defense, with no possibility of judicial review. Judge Ángel Andreu made it clear that he could not modify the sentence agreed upon by the parties. Díaz even explicitly requested not to be disqualified from holding public office, and so it was decided.
The victims were represented by attorney Pablo Olmos, who explained that they did not object due to exhaustion. The criminal proceedings lasted more than two decades with periods of stagnation and risk of expiration. Díaz refused to undergo psychological evaluations throughout the entire judicial investigation.
Su hijo, Pablo Díaz, es el actual jefe comunal y mantiene el control político del pueblo.
Testimonies that left no doubt
The women described threats, pressure, and extortion within the same municipal building. One victim received the warning: "Don't talk about what happens here. I can take away your welfare plan like I did with the others." He offered another woman to go to a hotel to "fix things" and maintain her family's welfare benefit.
Some of the complainants lost their social benefits after refusing the former official's advances. Despite this institutional violence, prosecutor Fabiana Pochettino agreed to a sentence without actual imprisonment. The punishment doesn't match the seriousness of the incidents or the repeated abuse of power.
Díaz incluso pidió expresamente no ser inhabilitado para ejercer cargos públicos, y así fue resuelto.
Intact power, symbolic punishment
Díaz offered financial compensation of 3.5 million pesos to each victim, in four installments. The compensation was accepted by some women, but others rejected it as insufficient. His son, Pablo Díaz, is the current mayor and keeps political control of the town.
The ruling doesn't prevent Díaz from holding public office in the future, which sparked strong public outrage. Various sectors question the message of impunity left by the case. The weakness of the criminal justice system in the face of abuses committed from positions of power is being debated.
