The building known as “la mole” represents one of the most scandalous real estate failures in recent decades in the city of Córdoba. Construction, paralyzed 14 years ago, is at the center of a complex criminal case for alleged scams against numerous private investors. The conflict recently worsened after the dissemination of images showing minors walking around cornices without any type of protection or security measure
.
Prosecutor Celeste Blasco ordered a comprehensive operation on the property in the face of the imminent danger posed by the illegal occupation of the abandoned tower. During the police procedure, 24 people were found to be staying overnight in the place, who were removed in strict compliance with the court order. Behind this situation of marginality, there are problems of crime and consumption that worried the residents of the Observatorio neighborhood
.
The original project was initially stopped bythe Municipalitybecause the work exceeded the maximum height allowed by the regulations by 7 meters. This violation of the Building Code, together with a bankruptcy proceeding now pending in local courts, sealed the fate of the structure. For more than a decade, the existence of a failed trust has prevented legitimate buyers from recovering their assets or completing the
work. During a police procedure, the presence of 24 people who were staying overnight in the place was found
The future of the structure under the bankruptcy orbit
The judicial file is currently in charge of bankruptcy judge Eduardo Chiavassa, who is responsible for defining the final destination of the building. The alternatives being considered by justice include the possibility of a private individual taking over the project or proceeding with the total demolition of the work. The legal insecurity generated by the bankruptcy of the original construction company keeps this real estate asset in a state
of absolute technical paralysis.
The operation made it possible to detect the various situations of vulnerability, providing discreet housing on a timely basis to those who accepted state collaboration after the eviction. Raúl La Cava, Secretary of Social Policies of the Municipality, stressed that municipal and police forces cannot act on these private properties without express judicial authorization. The lack of a final judgment on the ownership of the property made it easier for the building to become a focus of chronic social conflicts
.
Many of the occupants who were removed from the site reported suffering from the rupture of family ties or the lack of stable employment opportunities. Profiles of adult men, such as a 53-year-old man, and cases linked to mental health pathologies that require follow-up outside the police environment were detected.
The detailed survey of these 24 people will be sent to the intervening court to be incorporated into the history of the case of illegal occupation.According to authorities, municipal and police forces cannot act on these private properties without express judicial authorization
History of technical irregularities and criminal scams
Investors affected by the alleged scams are closely following the movements in the property, waiting for a resolution that contemplates the compensation of their investments. The tower stands as a monument to the lack of controls and to the insecurity in trust contracts that proliferated a decade ago.
Every apartment built outside the law represents a legal obstacle to any attempt to rehabilitate or commercial reactivation of the failed building.
Themunicipalityhad already tried to inspect the sector last year, but the inviolability of private property prevented construction inspectors from entering. The intervention of the prosecutor's office was the necessary trigger to break the municipal inaction and proceed with the eviction of intruders who were putting the area at risk. Local authorities reported that perimeter surveillance will be maintained to prevent the building from being vandalized or reoccupied by criminal
groups.
The final decision on whether “the mole” will be converted to rubble or finalized under new technical guidelines depends solely on the progress of the bankruptcy process. Those affected by real estate scams demand that justice speed up the time to close a chapter that affects the urban physiognomy of the capital. Meanwhile, the building stands as a reminder of the constant risks associated with private projects that are always at the mercy of excessive municipal bureaucracy
