The justice system ruled out irregularities in the transfer of funds to buy food and closed the case against Pettovello
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The Federal Criminal and Correctional Chamber confirmed the closure of the investigation against the Minister of Human Capital, Sandra Pettovello. The case file analyzed alleged irregularities in the transfer of funds to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the purchase of food intended for community soup kitchens, which turned out to be lawful and orderly.
The decision was adopted by Chamber I of the court of appeals, composed of judges Leopoldo Bruglia, Mariano Llorens and Pablo Bertuzzi. They rejected the appeal filed by Prosecutor Franco Picardi and confirmed the dismissal ordered in July 2025 by Judge Ariel Lijo. The trial judge had considered that no crime existed.
Se cerró la causa contra Sandra Petovello tras demostrarse que no hubo delitoThe origin of the case
The investigation began with a complaint filed by attorney Leonardo Martínez Herrero. In that complaint, it was questioned that, in February 2024, the Minister had authorized the transfer of millions in funds to the project "Community Approach of the National Argentina Against Hunger Plan".
According to the accusation, the operation allegedly exceeded the cap of 2.7 billion pesos allowed without the intervention of the Cabinet Chief and allegedly involved a 3% management fee for the international organization.
The prosecutor maintained that of the 14 billion transferred, 5.271 billion were awarded through public bidding, while the remainder — 8.308 billion — was reassigned within the same program.
The Chamber's reasoning
When analyzing the appeal, the Chamber especially valued the report from the National Procurement Office, which indicated that the operation was excluded from the general procurement regime because it involved an international agreement entered into with an entity under international public law.
Judge Mariano Llorens stated that "the criticisms aimed at maintaining that the operation was allegedly carried out without respecting the parameters established by the Financial Administration Law and its regulatory decree lose relevance in light of the evidence added to the investigation, which shows that the challenged transfer was carried out within the regime established by the 'Community Approach' program, respecting the guidelines and controls required by that program and outside the criteria set by the rules that supported the original complaint in these proceedings."
Leopoldo Bruglia, Pablo Bertuzzi y Mariano Llorens, jueces de la Sala I de la Cámara Federal
Meanwhile, Bruglia and Bertuzzi emphasized that the program — in force since 2020 — includes oversight and accountability mechanisms. They recalled that Revision "C," approved in August 2023, authorized UNDP's subsidiary and exceptional intervention for the purchase of food in the face of failed or ineffective state projects.
The court also weighed the opinion of the Permanent Legal Service of the General Directorate of Legal Affairs of the National Secretariat for Children, Adolescents and Family, which found no legal objections, as well as the report from the Ministry's Legal Undersecretariat, which gave its approval.
The documentation included ministerial resolutions, purchase orders, delivery notes, reception records, and external audit and financial control mechanisms.
Sandra Petovello, Ministra de Capital Humano, libre de falsas denuncias
The appellate judges concluded that "there was no deviation from the committed public purpose, nor personal benefit, nor harm to the public treasury" and that "no irregularities are evident regarding the amounts involved."
Consequently, Chamber I decided to confirm the dismissal of the case, considering that the evidence gathered was sufficient to rule out the existence of criminally relevant conduct.
