Former Health Minister of Córdoba, Diego Cardozo, was acquitted in the trial over the deaths of babies at the Neonatal Hospital. The verdict was split between the lay jurors, who unanimously acquitted him, and the professional judges, who voted for his conviction. The case accused him of being a co-author of aggravated concealment due to his public office and the seriousness of the events.
Professional judges José Daniel Cesano and Laura Huberman issued a dissenting vote, considering that there was institutional concealment. Nevertheless, the majority vote of the citizens prevailed and was formally substantiated by presiding judge Patricia Soria. Soria clarified that she did not express an opinion on the ruling, but rather drafted the legal grounds stated by the lay jury.
According to the ruling, the citizens understood that Cardozo acted immediately after being informed of the deaths.The jury maintained that he ordered measures such as the intervention of the hospital, the opening of internal investigations, and judicial oversight. "Once the directives were issued, no further incidents occurred at the hospital," the lay jurors stated.
Cardozo fue absuelto en el juicio por las muertes de bebés en el Hospital Neonatal
The grounds for the citizens' acquittal
The acquittal was based on the conviction that Cardozo was not aware of the events before June 7, 2022. On that day, then-secretary Pablo Carvajal informed him about two "suspicious" deaths. He was also told that there had been previous episodes without sufficient details or specifics.
Cardozo stated that, upon receiving that information, he issued a series of orders as minister. These included intervening in the hospital and filing an immediate criminal complaint. He explained that the task of formalizing that complaint was assigned to Carvajal and attorney Alejandro Gauto.
José Alegre, Cardozo's private secretary, confirmed that the orders were given that same day. Cánovas also confirmed that Cardozo learned about it on June 7. "He was convinced that his orders were being carried out," the former minister's defense argued during the oral trial.
La absolución se basó en la convicción de que Cardozo no conocía los hechos antes del 7 de junio de 2022
The reasons for the technical conviction vote
Cesano and Huberman considered that Cardozo was aware of the seriousness of the case before June 7. "The alarms went off on March 18 of this year," he publicly stated in August. That phrase was interpreted by the professional judges as an admission of prior knowledge.
Both judges reiterated arguments from the Public Prosecutor's Office about an alleged "network of cover-ups." It was suggested that high-ranking officials acted to protect the image of the healthcare system. They also pointed to a deliberate omission of complaints regarding serious incidents within the hospital.
Another relevant point for the prosecution was the forensic analysis performed on the former minister's cell phone. The analysis revealed that on August 15, "recovery mode" was activated, erasing unrecoverable data. In this suspicious context, deleted messages were detected between Cardozo and Gauto, as well as other encrypted messages on Asís's phone.
