The former Kirchner administration official faces a single sentence for the Vialidad case and illicit enrichment
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The Federal Oral Court 2 decided to unify the sentences imposedon the former Secretary of Public Works, José López, who will ultimately have to serve a sentence of 13 years in prison.
The decision covers the sentences handed down in theVialidad case and in the file for illicit enrichment, in which the former Kirchner administration official had already received judicial sanctions.
José Francisco López - Ex secretario de Obras Públicas de la Nación.
The measure was adopted by judges Jorge Gorini, Rodrigo Giménez Uriburu, and Andrés Basso, who emphasized that "the unification of sentences ensures coherence in the penal enforcement system and prevents an unreasonable aggravation of punitive treatment".
López's defense, represented by public defender Santiago Finn, requested in June to integrate the sanctions on the grounds of achieving a"comprehensive view of his criminal responsibility"and highlighting the resocializing purpose of the sentence.
The former official, who had previously been convicted in three different proceedings, sought to unify the sanctions so that a sentence of six years in prison would be set. However, the court rejected that request and established a single sentence of 13 years.
Meanwhile, prosecutors Diego Luciani and Sergio Mola had requested that the unification result in a sentence of 13 years and 6 months, alluding to the "extent of the damage" caused and the "decisive role" that López played in his capacity as a public official.
José López deberá cumplir 13 años de prisión por corrupción
In the ruling, the judges emphasized the magnitude of the acts judged and their nature as structural corruption. They pointed out that "the acts judged are classified as serious acts of corruption committed from the highest level of the National State, that the crimes for which he was convicted display dangerousness, and, moreover, that López used a variety of means to commit them".
They also specified that "we were able to prove and confirm the existence of an economic benefit linked to the criminal plan, but that it was only for the benefit of two of the convicted individuals: Lázaro Antonio Báez and Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner".
The sentence keeps the accessory sanctions in force:fines for illicit enrichment, absolute permanent disqualification, special permanent disqualification from holding public office, and prohibition from carrying weapons for three years and two months.
