The Córdoba Legislature is once again at the center of controversy after a list of 23 contracts became public, including that of Virginia Martínez, the so-called "phantom employee." That group includes 22 other individuals whose ties to the State were not investigated. Anticorruption prosecutor Franco Mondino closed the case without pursuing those appointments.
According to Perfil Córdoba, the list was added to the case file, but neither the contracted individuals nor the authorities who approved them were summoned to testify. The decree, signed by Vice Governor Myrian Prunotto, details names and tasks that are not very compatible with legislative functions. The lack of judicial oversight fuels suspicions of discretionary management of public funds.
The case, which began as an attempted irregular withdrawal at Banco de Córdoba, led to an investigation limited to only three people: Martínez, Kraisman, and Castro. While the latter two were sent to trial, the accused official was granted a lack of merit ruling.
Contracts under suspicion
The documents provided by the Legislature detail contracts from December 2024 to June 2025. Among the signatories are individuals engaged in professions unrelated to the public sector, such as an agricultural producer, a messenger, and an auto repairman. According to the Open Data portal, 14 of them continue working as advisors.
Despite the evidence, Mondino did not take new measures or request reports on the duties performed by those contracted individuals. He also did not investigate whether there were administrative controls in the approval of those appointments. The omission left a possible scheme of appointments for political favors unanswered.
A precedent of judicial inaction
This is not the first time Mondino has faced criticism for his lack of progress in sensitive cases. Legislator Luciana Echevarría had requested a jury for his "inaction" in the investigation of the sworn statements of former Vice Governor Oscar González. His past as a legislative advisor reinforces doubts about his independence.
The "phantom employee" case once again exposes a web of opaque hiring practices and weak oversight. Meanwhile, the accused await trial, the list of uninvestigated advisors remains a blind spot for the justice system and a reflection of the lack of transparency in Córdoba politics.
