Córdoba: Two parallel trials expose the largest scheme of fraud against labor insurance companies

This Thursday, proceedings will continue in the 10th Criminal Chamber of Córdoba in the Ardanaz case, which brings together 298 episodes of fraud and thirteen defendants, including doctors and lawyers. The process involves more than two hundred witnesses summoned and an extensive body of evidence that includes paper files and digital records. The court anticipates hearings through December, with an unprecedented procedural workload for the provincial justice system.

Prosecutors Fernando López Villagra and Enrique Gavier are maintaining the prosecution, while the defense includes several private attorneys and public defenders. In the courtroom, plaintiffs, lawyers, and experts are gathered, who will have to participate in nearly 200 medical evaluations. Three workers' compensation insurers, Mapfre, Liberty, and Consolidar, are among the companies that reported the forgery schemes.

Among the main defendants are lawyers Luciano Adolfo Cafure and Carlos Enrique Ardanaz, along with doctor Ariel Gonzalo Ayub, identified as leaders. Other legal and medical professionals also face charges who, according to the prosecution, allegedly participated in the submission of fraudulent medical certificates. The process accumulates 68 case files and stands as one of the largest of its kind.

The second case and its defendants

The Chiarini case is also being added to these proceedings, and will also be tried in the 10th Chamber of Córdoba before the same court and with the same prosecutors involved. This case includes seven defendants and more than 140 reported incidents, involving four insurers with losses of varying magnitude. The prosecution details a scheme of illicit association and procedural fraud through the use of false medical certificates.

The Chiarini case consists of 15 main files and 10 evidentiary files, with the participation of experts, private defenders, and a public defender. The defendants are Marcelo and Oscar Chiarini, along with other professionals, some of whom are also being prosecuted in the Ardanaz case. Among the affected insurers are Liberty, Consolidar, Prevención, and Berkley, with more than a hundred attributed submissions.

The private prosecution will be led by Gustavo Martínez Urrutibehety, while the defense is handled by lawyers such as José Cafferata and Manuel Calderón Meynier. The list of defendants again includes Daniel Eduardo Nates and Oscar Alberto Visconti, who are also mentioned in the other case file. The trial is scheduled to take place between November and March of next year, with dozens of hearings planned.