They seek to unblock a multimillion-dollar purchase flagged for irregularities. The opposition denounces political persecution
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The provincial justice system raided the headquarters of the Court of Accountsin the middle of the conflict over the purchase of drones. The operation sought to seize the file of the tender valued at US$ 6.8 million for the Córdoba Police. The president of the body, Beltrán Corvalán, reported that the government is seeking to intimidate opposition auditors.
Four police officers entered the public building to remove the administrative documentation requested by the prosecutor. The Juezista member of the tribunal warned that the papers were no longer in that office and recalled that he has parliamentary immunity. The judicial measure escalates the institutional tension between the provincial government and the oversight body.
The raid takes place after the opposition majority blocked the approval of the expenditure after detecting serious irregularities. The members of the tribunal warned that the bidding process was tailored to favor a single bidding company. The suspicion falls on a "single-item" tender that eliminates real price competition.
Cuatro efectivos policiales ingresaron al edificio público para retirar la documentación administrativa requerida por el fiscal.
Attack on oversight bodies
The Security Minister, Juan Pablo Quinteros, filed a criminal complaint against the members of the tribunal for abuse of authority and noncompliance. The official argument keeps that the Court exceeded its authority by assessing the political advisability of the purchase. The Executive branch intends to move forward with the multimillion-dollar expenditure while ignoring the transparency objections that were raised.
Corvalán maintained that the ruling party is trying to discipline those who safeguard Córdoba taxpayers' money. The entry of the police into a constitutional body breaks with the republican tradition of the province. The separation of powers was undermined by the political urgency to execute the security budget.
The conflict exposes the political power's discomfort with the mechanisms for monitoring public spending. The criminal complaint against the auditors seeks to criminalize the oversight function established by the Constitution. The opposition reaffirmed that it won't yield to pressure from the state apparatus.
El allanamiento ocurre luego de que la mayoría opositora frenara el visado del gasto por detectar irregularidades graves.
Multimillion-dollar expenditure under suspicion
Prosecutor Tomás Casas took charge of the investigation after the end of the January judicial recess. The case could be referred to the Anti-Corruption Court due to the status of the officials involved. The judicialization of oversight policy weakens Córdoba's institutional quality.
The province is analyzing administrative avenues to reactivate the purchase of the drones without the endorsement of the Court of Accounts. The insistence on circumventing legal controls generates greater suspicion about the financial operation. Citizens are watching how millions are being spent in the midst of an unprecedented security crisis.
